Epic
by amaven
Summary: Andromeda Shepard is the best of the best. She faces overwhelming odds in saving the galaxy from a threat that few people believe is there. This is her story. On hold until ME3 is released.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors note- This FF basically this follows the game. I skipped almost all of the side missions (my god that is half the game), and used a lot of the in game dialogue. I didn't describe most battles in detail (again, most of the game and there are only so many ways to say 'She shot the geth and killed it'). At this time the story is complete up to the Citadel Battle. I am working on continuing it throughout ME2, and then I'll probably leave it open until ME3 comes out. The ME2 part is not complete, and I won't post chapters to that section until it is. I appreciate everyone who reads stories like this, because I myself often don't have the patience to read anything more than ten chapters. I value reviews, and if you find something within the story that contradicts itself (I tried really hard to keep things straight) let me know with a review/message. Just reposted some of the first chapters after re-editing. New chapters will be coming more frequently now**

**Chapter 1 – Shepard's Background**

Youth from Earth's megatropolises went to Alliance offices rather frequently. A lot of them needing to escape, but lacked the money, skills, or brains to do so. Andromeda Shepard wasn't much different. She had been born and raised on Earth, though she never knew who her parents were or if they were still alive. She had been abandoned, and raised at an orphanage. Unfortunate but she wasn't alone. Mostly she was average, nothing spectacular. She went to school, got average or slightly better grades. All of her teachers and friends considered her charismatic, leadership material, great potential, but lacking in discipline. Again, not uncommon among Earth's unfortunate youths.

Going to higher education wasn't possible. The orphanage only had a small fund they kept for each of the children, not enough to pay for a month at a small college. No defined skills to find work. So on her eighteenth birthday, she signed up with the Alliance Navy. By the time she graduated high school they were ready to send her off to basic training.

It took a year before she realized that joining the Alliance hadn't been just an escape from Earth, it had become a calling. Everything she had done before she had done average, with little to no care about the outcome. It changed her, motivated her, and disciplined her.

"Lieutenant Shepard looks like a good possible candidate," Captain Anderson said, looking over the file. "Strong technical aptitude, excellent marksman, one of the top hand-to-hand combatants…"

"If he's so damn good why are you trying to ask me my opinion?" Admiral Bentley snapped.

"He's a she, sir," Anderson said, handing the file over as Bentley's hand reached out for it.

"No," Bentley said, throwing the file in the pile of rejects.

"She's stationed on Elysium right now, before throwing the potential away maybe we should meet her. Interview her," Anderson suggested. Bentley was old, nearing retirement, and used any excuse he could to leave Arcturus Station. He agreed.

The same time they were leaving Arcturus, Elysium was attacked. Elysium was a large colony, millions of civilians but only a couple hundred of Alliance soldiers. The attackers were a massive coalition of slavers, Batarian crime lords, and crime syndicates, all hoping for a share in the massive resources destroying Elysium would provide, not to mention causing the Alliance to lose a strong foothold in the galaxy.

"Commander, your orders!?" Lieutenant Shepard said, skidding to a halt when she found her commanding officer. He looked at her, his eyes wide and a dark stain spreading through his pants before he fainted. "Oh, fuck," she groaned. She got on the radio, "This is Lieutenant Shepard, Commander Fricks is incapacitated, I'm taking lead. All Alliance staff report to your stations _immediately_! Defensive positions! Defensive positions!"

The colony had automated defenses against ships, but the ships landed out of their range and they were heading in on foot. Thousands of mercenaries and slavers marching for their weakest point.

Shepard prepared the soldiers, and reluctantly, rallied any willing civilians to take up arms with them. By the time the real fighting started they had a fighting chance.

Alliance patrols didn't reach Elysium until four hours after the attack had begun, and when they neared the attackers retreated. An hour after that, Anderson and Bentley arrived. They had heard about the attack on the way there, but were too far out to do anything.

A private saluted them immediately, looking a bit scuffed but uninjured. Anderson returned the salute, "Where is your commander?"

The private looked a bit unsure of himself but tried to answer as professionally as he could, "Sir, Commander Fricks and Lieutenant Shepard are at the Alliance hospital."

"He asked for your commander, private, not for your lieutenant," Bentley said in a low growl.

"Sir, Lieutenant Shepard acted as commanding officer during the defense. Wasn't sure which you needed to speak to…but both of them are being treated in the hospital, sir."

"Let's go," Anderson said, wanting to a longer conversation.

Shepard looked over at Fricks, who was still hyperventilating between occasionally crying. Whether it was from the shock of being attacked or embarrassment over pissing himself she didn't know. Fricks was an officer because of who he knew. He got cushioned posts with very small risk of ever having to fire a weapon.

She looked up as Captain Anderson and Admiral Bentley walked in, and moved to a sitting position and went to move to stand.

Anderson raised his hand, "As you were, please."

Shepard nodded gratefully to him, "Thank you, sir. And thank you for coming as soon as you could, wasn't sure how long we would be able to hold them."

"What's wrong with him?" Bentley asked, nodding towards Fricks. "You look more banged up than he does." And she did. Her armor was broken off on her left arm, while it wasn't bleeding there was blood shining on it. There was a ugly wound on the side of her neck, bleeding halted by medi-gel but not closing. And she was being careful not to move her leg. She had been through hell.

Shepard winced as she adjusted herself on the gurney, "He's…um…" she frowned. She couldn't stand Fricks at that moment, after how he had responded she had no respect for him. "I'm not sure. Sorry."

Dr. Chakwas walked in, "Oh…Anderson, so good to see you again!"

"Doctor," Anderson said with a smile and a nod as she kept moving to the Commander's side. "How is he?"

She opened a pill bottle and gave two green pills to him and a glass of water, "Physically, absolutely nothing. I have a psychiatric consult coming in to further assess if he will be fit for duty after this. Shepard!" Shepard looked up at the doctor with wide eyes, "What did I say?"

"There is nothing wrong with Fricks, that you are…"

"I said I want you lying down," Chakwas snapped, and quietly adding, "Smart ass."

"Yes, ma'am," Shepard said, slowly laying back on the gurney.

Chakwas closed a curtain to Fricks' bed and stood over Shepard and began scanning her.

"How is she holding up?" Anderson asked.

Chakwas smiled and looked at Anderson, "We have ourselves a war hero, here."

"Doc…" Shepard started.

"No talking," Chakwas snapped.

"So what happened?" Anderson asked.

"We got scans that there was a fleet coming in," Shepard began. "IFF signatures were mixed or just not there. Commander Fricks became unable to command. I sent out the order for defensive-OUCH!"

"Sorry," Chakwas said, stepping back a bit. "Your armor slowed the bullets, but didn't stop them all. I need to prepare you for surgery."

"Quick version, then," Shepard said with a grimace. "We were outnumbered and the defenses weren't prepared for what they brought. A lot of civilians volunteered to help. I got them armed and in position before the attack hit. We held off until they retreated. I'm still waiting for casualty report."

Anderson and Bentley stepped out as Chakwas prepared Shepard for surgery. Anderson had worked with Chakwas before on Shanxi during the First Contact War, she was a great doctor and knew Shepard was in the best hands available.

"She was laying there with a bullet in her while talking to us?" Bentley asked as Chakwas came out.

She rattled the pan, "Four full ones, few fragments of others, and part of her armor broke off and lodged itself in her calf. She'll make a full recovery in a few days. She's tough. Demanded I treat Fricks before seeing her. That…" Chakwas made a disgusted sound.

"I've been listening to the others," Anderson said quietly. "Heard there was a major breach in the defenses?"

Chakwas nodded, "Most of her injuries were sustained during that breach. If not all of them. She held them back on her own to give the armed civilians a chance to retreat, actually pushed the attackers back before she got help. Once the danger was over she walked two wounded soldiers in, went back for Fricks, then asked for some medi-gel for herself."

"Crazy, then," Bentley muttered. "No regard for her own life."

"I don't think so. She told me she knew her injuries weren't life threatening, just painful. She wanted to make sure she had done all she could before taking a physicians time away from others who found it…unbearable. Give her a few hours and you can speak with her yourselves."

Shepard was sitting on her gurney, fully dressed, when Captain Anderson walked in. He tried to tell her she didn't have to move, but she stood up and saluted, "Captain," she said.

"At ease," he said, a bit amused. "How are you feeling?"

"Alive, sir."

Anderson nodded, "A lot of people on Elysium are alive because of you, Shepard. I've been looking around, hearing different versions of how things went down. You want to know what most of them are saying?"

"If you want to tell me, sir," she answered.

"Everyone remembers things a bit differently, or saw it a different way. But they all agree, you were the factor that rallied them to victory." He watched her face, looking for a reaction. But her green eyes just stared at him, her mouth straight. "What do you think about that? Talk freely."

"If it wasn't for your reinforcements, the enemy would not have retreated when they did," she said.

"Maybe. But if it wasn't for you, everyone seems to think that the enemy would have broken through the defenses within an hour of the attack. You stepped up when your commanding officer was sitting in a pool of his own piss. You organized your resources, including the civilians. They want to call you a war hero because of it."

"They can call me whatever they want. I'm just here to do my job, and to do it well."

Anderson held out his hand, and she looked at it before taking it, "Its soldiers like you that make me proud to be in the Alliance."

"Thank you, sir," she said. "Believe me, I'm going to be proud to tell people that Captain Anderson was there to reinforce us here."

He smiled a bit, "Afraid I never corrected that assumption, lieutenant. I actually arrived an hour after the retreat with Admiral Bentley. Our arrival after this attack is just coincidence. We were on our way here to speak to you." Her face changed then, her eyebrows furrowing in concern and suspicion, her mouth hard and tense. "We wanted to interview you after looking over your special forces application. After this fiasco, though, an interview is an absurd thing to ask of you, but I still have questions."

"Ask me anything," Shepard offered, almost a dare.

"Why do you want to take this training? You are doing good work where you are now."

"I do good work wherever I am," she said. "But a colonial post…what just happened is an exception. I don't live for combat, sir, or excitement, don't get me wrong. But my talents are put to waste guarding a colony that, after this, probably will never be attacked again."

"Your talents? You mean shooting a gun?"

"Tactics," she corrected. "I coordinated with Fricks on day-to-day operations. Working with all soldiers posted here to find what they were best suited for. If it wasn't for the past six months of ground work, they would have been shooting each other in the foot. Ability to adapt under pressure. And…willing to bend protocol."

"By arming civilians?"

"Yeah," she said. "Thankfully none of them died out there. If even one had…well, I wouldn't be a war hero. I'd be a…I don't know. Captain, I want to be out there, the first to respond when there is trouble to have a chance to protect our people."

He shook her hand again, "Training starts in two weeks."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – The Deal**

On Eden Prime an archeological dig unearths a Prothean artifact, soon discovered to be a beacon and quickly discovered to still be working. The Prothean's were a species of aliens that went extinct fifty thousand years ago, but much of the technology remained. Remaining technology was the Mass Relays, which enabled properly equipped starships to travel several light years in an instant, and the Citadel. The Citadel, a massive space station that served as a political headquarters for all species.

Human Ambassador Udina requested an audience with the Citadel Council, a group of three representatives that served as the leaders of Citadel Space. Humans, still new to the galaxy, lacked the technology and expertise available to handle the artifact. They were going to need the Citadel's help discovering its secrets, and humanity was willing to trade with them.

Udina sat down with Captain Anderson and Admiral Hackett. "They've agreed. We deliver and give them access with the artifact, and they will send one of their Spectre's along to monitor a human candidate, however they wanted a say in the candidate."

"Who's the Spectre?" Anderson asked.

"Nihlus, he's a Turian," Udina muttered. "He's given us a list of names of candidates he believes qualified."

Hackett and Anderson both looked, and a name popped up at both of them. "What is Shepard doing these days?" Anderson asked.

"She just finished a mission, on shore leave," Hackett answered. "Had one of my fleet take her back to Earth."

"Earth?" Udina asked.

"Shepard was born and raised there," Anderson said, he knew a lot about Shepard. "It made her tough as nails, believe me. First time I met her was after the Skyllian Blitz."

Udina frowned a bit as he thought. The Skyllian Blitz was eventually what the attack on Elysium had been called, it had been a monumental battle for humans. "That Shepard, the one who saved Elysium?"

"That's her," Anderson said. "She completed her N7 training five years ago, I was there when she graduated. First female to be accepted and still only female to graduate. She scores very highly in all marks. When she sets out to do something, she does it."

"Not always in ways that follow Alliance regulations," Hackett added in a low voice. "But nonetheless, she gets it done, and does what she can to avoid casualties."

"That's it? You won't even look at the other options?" Udina asked.

Anderson glanced at the other names, names notable but none of the owners of the name were as memorable as Shepard. No classic battle or mission that made them stand out, and their files showed marks that he found unfavorable.

"This is the kind of person you want," Anderson said confidently. "Shepard responds, thinks, and adapts. She can handle anything we throw at her."

Udina nodded, "Alright, I'll make the call. Hackett, you'll need to cut her shore leave short and arrange to have her back at Arcturus Station immediately. Anderson, I'll leave you to recruit the rest of your team."

_--Back on Earth--_

Shepard waved to the bartender, and he walked over and poured her another shot. "Want me to leave you the bottle, Andy?" he asked. Over the past three years she had started coming into his bar every time she was home. At most a few times a month, usually months between visits, depending on how things were. Always came in alone, drank alone, and always left alone.

"Is it that noticeable, Paul?" she asked, a bit of a smile.

He nodded. She had a black eye left over from her last mission. Nothing major, in fact, almost humorous looking on her face. The woman had a face that would have suited a young girl, freckles over her nose that spilled over onto her cheeks on creamy colored skin, framed by short red hair. The bruise started high on the bridge of her nose, going down to the inner corners of each of her eyes but going deep under her left eye.

Pinned down by a batarian warlord, she gave him a head-butt hard enough to break her own nose. The broken nose was fixed after the mission, but the bruise would have to run its course. But the black eye meant nothing, everything about her posture and eyes told him something was bothering her.

"Part of being a bartender means knowing how to talk people through bad spots in their life," he said. "And part of being a good bartender means helping them through it. I'm a damn good bartender."

"You are a damn good bartender, Paul," she said in a low voice. "But I'm afraid I'm not the type to talk it out. Leaving me the bottle just may be the best option."

It wasn't healthy, she knew it. She had seen a lot of marines lose their jobs because of alcohol, but she had a strict rule, she never drank unless she was on leave. And often that was easy to follow. No alcohol was allowed on Alliance vessels. Sure, Captain's often snuck a bottle of their favorite on, but she never went near it. Also, it was easier being in space for her. The past eleven years of her life had been spent on different colonies and ships. She loved her job, she loved what she was doing with her life.

She drank because of the loneliness. Any friends she had on Earth from years ago were gone. Off the grid criminals, only a few lucky ones had made anything of themselves…and she didn't relate to them. Civilians. Listening to the conversations around her…she was too disconnected from it. She understood the words, sure. "My son just turned two. I got a promotion at work. My boss got fired for having an affair with his secretary." But she didn't fit into anything like that. The most asked question, one Paul the Bartender asked her once she sat down every time she stepped into his bar, "What have you been up to lately?"

Even if she wanted to tell them, she couldn't. But she wasn't a glory seeker, she didn't want to bring these people to what she did or saw. "Well my squad got a distress signal from a colony in the Traverse. We hit the Mass Relay to get to them, still took us about an hour. An hour is good timing, on average, but when we landed all we found was a raided colony. It was small, only a couple hundred residents. They were just starting up, a lot of resources but no protection. Supplies gone, dead bodies. No survivors. Smell of burning bodies, there are worse smells. Found the sick bastards that did it, though. Blue Suns mercenaries. Chased their ship and damaged them enough to force them to land on a moon. Sorry bastard's hard suits didn't have necessary tech to help them adjust to the change in gravity. They still tried to fight us, though. Only thirty of them. My squad had fifteen, more training and better equipment. The sound of bullet finally breaking through the shields and cracking the air mask of a batarian…well, you can hear it in space."

That wasn't something the civilian society wanted to hear, and she doubted she would ever want to speak to someone who actually enjoyed those stories that couldn't listen to them with their own professional insight. Everything the Alliance did, it was for the civilians. When she joined the Alliance, she had given up that part of her life…and she had no regrets about it.

"You lose someone?" Paul guessed.

Shepard thought about it, and nodded once, "Yeah."

Paul poured himself a shot, "God bless our troops, and when they are taken in service to us may He take them into His own service and grant them eternal peace."

Shepard clinked her glass with his, and they both took the shot in one gulp.

It was nearly closing time when someone sat next to her, "Hey, I'm Mark."

She glanced at him, her eyes a bit glazed from several hours of drinking. Blonde hair, bit shaggy. Brown eyes, bit bloodshot and glazed as well. "Andromeda," she offered.

He grinned, "Beautiful name. You know that is a constellation?"

"So I've been told," she said, looking for Paul, but he was busy cleaning off tables.

"I work in space. Stars are beautiful, and you are more beautiful than your name," he said, leaning towards her a bit.

She cocked an eyebrow at him and looked him over, "You work in space?"

"I'm a soldier. Alliance Navy," he grinned.

"Oh, you are?" she asked, her eyes critical on his hair, clothes, and physical appearance.

"Sure, am, baby. This is my last night on Earth before I have to protect the galaxy, maybe you'd like to spend it with me?" He put his hand on her knee, leaning closer still.

"I may be drunk," she started slowly, leaning towards him as well, "But I can still break your arm in three different places if you don't move your hand."

He leaned back a bit, still smiling but now a bit more unsure, "Something wrong?"

"I've heard some really bad pick up lines in this place," she said, pouring herself another shot. "I'm in no mood to listen to even decent ones. And your line is particularly distasteful."

"What?"

"I've been in the Alliance for eleven years," she said. "I've served with thousands of soldiers, and I can tell when someone is posing."

"No shit?" he laughed. "Really? You don't look like a soldier, Andromeda. Other than the shiner, I would have said you were a model."

She tilted her head, "You've already pissed me off, flattery isn't going to work now."

"It's the end of the night, what have I got to lose?"

Her green eyes looked over him again. There were benefits to casual sex, especially when one couldn't sustain a relationship. But she just was in no mood. Sad about the loss of a fellow marine and friend, angry that this guy had tried to pose as a soldier, and drunk enough that she just wanted to get home and pass out. "You can lose a _lot_ if you don't leave me alone," she said quietly.

Shepard woke up only a few hours after getting home. She could still feel the effects of the alcohol, but she could feel the hangover more. The pounding head, queasy stomach, and dry mouth.

She was still fighting the hangover while working in her office, the largest room in her small apartment. She was modifying a spare standard issue Alliance hard suit. The suit was more than just armor and shields, but could relay injury reports directly to an omni-tool and then through radio frequencies to Alliance systems to show how soldiers were doing in combat. The idea was useful, however it only meant that when she was away from one of her team she could see on her own omni-tool that one of them was under attack, dying, then dead.

The design she was making involved a system of tubes to distribute medi-gel to weakened areas. Medi-gel was a standard all over the galaxy and saved millions of lives. It stopped bleeding and depending on the severity of the wound could heal it within seconds or minutes. More critical injuries still required surgery or other modifications to fix completely. Like her shoulder, during a mission it had been practically shattered. There was more metal in her right shoulder than bone, and occasionally it still caused her discomfort.

But, if things were bad enough that shields and armor broke and a bullet gets through the armor would detect it and through tubes throughout send medi-gel to the wounded area. Right now she was just having trouble making the system intelligent enough to do so. Without her own research and development team it probably wouldn't be ready for ten years, and with the Alliance budget it probably would never see combat.

She'd already made progress on increasing shield durability. Kinetic shields, based upon mass effect technology, had become standard in combat armors since before the First Contact War, and were constantly getting better. The Alliance didn't consider her modification cost effective, though. They didn't prevent her from modifying her own armor, but the cost of refitting the entire Alliance with new and improved hard suits wasn't in the budget.

Shepard answered her phone when a call came in, and listened to the operator as it told her it was a priority message from Admiral Hackett on Arcturus Station and to patient as there were possibilities of lag.

"Commander Shepard, hope I'm not interrupting anything," Admiral Hackett said. "We need you for a mission, you'll be briefed once you reach Arcturus. You need to get on a transport and be here ASAP."

Shepard was pulling up transport departures, "Civilian transport departs at twelve-hundred, that's the soonest."

"Due to the importance of this mission we're sending you a personal transport, it'll be docking in fifteen minutes. Sooner you are on that vessel, the sooner you'll be here."

"Understood," she said. Once the call was disconnected she said, "Shit!" and began rushing. Shower, trying to get the smell of alcohol off of her as it bled through her pores. Pack, her uniforms folded and pressed before putting them in her bag.

Important mission, she had a lot of those. Alliance Special Forces were elite. Past year she had been commanding a patrol vessel, short month-long cruises to discourage pirates and respond quickly to any attacks. They didn't happen often, though. But every now and then, a special mission came up that required one of the elite N7 operatives. She didn't know what she was getting herself into, but knew since she had been called her special training was required.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – The Normandy**

Commander Shepard's transport arrived at Arcturus at twelve-hundred, earlier than expected but still not as soon as Anderson had wanted it there.

Shepard stepped out, hair disheveled and uniform slightly wrinkled, "Hard night?" he asked with a smirk.

"Captain Anderson! Good to see you," she said, grinning and shaking his hand.

"We are pressed for time," he said.

She looked around to look for someone listening in, and then looked at him, "I'm with you, sir?"

He nodded, "You are my XO on this mission."

"It's an honor…"

"Cut it out," he said quickly. "Anything you need before we head out?"

"No, sir," she said.

"Follow me," he said.

She walked with him, never prying on what the mission was. Knowing better. They reached a secure area of the station, one that she had never been given access to before.

"Commander, this is the Normandy," Captain Anderson said as they looked out at a frigate. She had never seen a ship like it, and she thought she had seen every ship there was.

"Is its ass-end supposed to be so big?" Shepard asked.

Anderson chuckled, glad to see Shepard still had a sense of humor. "She's a prototype recon deep scout frigate. Specially designed for solo reconnaissance missions. Has a state of the art stealth system and an experimental drive core. We made her with help from the Turians and funding by the Citadel. We're taking her on a shakedown run, test her out a bit," he said.

Shepard looked at him, "Is that all, sir?"

"We'll be going to Eden Prime," he added. "Since the Citadel funded this ship, we have one of there people with us on this mission. A Spectre. Turian Spectre. Will that be a problem with you?"

She shook her head, "No, sir," she answered as they walked towards the ship.

_--On the Normandy--_

Dr. Chakwas frowned as she watched Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko and Corporeal Richard Jenkins face each other.

"Are you really sure?" Alenko asked him.

"Yeah! Come on, I've never seen biotics!" Jenkins said.

"Please, Lieutenant, be _careful_," Chakwas said.

Alenko controlled the nerve impulses to propel a wave of biotic energy at Jenkins. It was fairly weak, but Jenkins flew back a few feet and landed on his back. Chakwas put her hand to her mouth, terrified. But Jenkins jumped up, "That was awesome!"

Alenko laughed and clapped him on the shoulder, "Thanks, doc. And…sorry, he really wanted to try it."

She let out a breath she had been holding, "Thank you for not breaking his back."

"I have pretty good control," he said, smiling just a bit.

"Any word on when we'll be leaving?" she asked.

"As soon as Captain Anderson gets his XO, that's all I know," he said. "Don't even know who it will be."

"That's odd, isn't it?" she asked.

"This was all put together pretty quickly," Alenko agreed. "I better go, need to be ready."

Kaidan jogged up the stairs to the command center, and when the door slid open he nearly ran into a woman. She stepped aside for him, and he couldn't help but smile as he walked through. "My apologies, didn't expect anyone to…well, be there." He swallowed hard as he looked at her green eyes, her bright red hair untidy in the back, cut short right below her ears. She was just a few inches shorter than he was, with a strong frame. Broad shoulders, athletically fit, soft curves replaced with hard muscle. Her complexion fair, a freckles speckled her cheeks and nose. There was a rough looking black eye, but didn't take away from her beauty. She was Alliance, no doubt about that. But he was having a hard time thinking about her as a fellow soldier at that moment.

"Don't worry about it," she said. She adjusted her bag and held her hand out to him, "Are you Lieutenant Alenko?"

He nodded and shook her hand, "Yes, ma'am."

"Good to meet you," she said. "I'm Commander Shepard, I'll be leading the ground team."

Kaidan swallowed again, "I…I'm sorry, Commander Shepard?"

"That's right," she answered. "I've been slowing us down, I really need to put my stuff away, so…maybe you'll let me through?"

"I…of course, sorry," he said, stepping away from the door and adding, "Ma'am."

"Hey, Alenko, meet our XO?" Jenkins said. "This is so awesome! We're working with a Spectre, Captain Anderson and Commander Shepard."

Alenko looked at the young private and smiled at his enthusiasm. It was good to see a soldier that wasn't yet jaded. Refreshing, even.

Nihlus watched as Shepard unloaded her belongings into a locker in the crews quarters, and walked up slowly just as she was finishing. "Commander Shepard, I'm Nihlus."

She turned and looked him over. She had few chances to talk with aliens, unfortunately most aliens she met were those involved in pirate groups or mercenary guilds that she had to gun down. However, she was not xenophobic.

Turians were an interesting species if only to look at. The face was rather flat, no lips and not much of a nose. They also had metal exoskeletons, required to protect them from the solar radiation on their home planet. Their jaw alone scared many humans, as it reminded them of predators of Earth such as crocodiles. The turian's didn't have cheeks but just partial covering of their teeth, mandibles made by that exoskeleton and their teeth were all sharp spikes. Their teeth didn't bother Shepard, though. She had been in a few skirmishes with turian's over the past years that she knew to watch out for the talons on their hands and feet. Turian's only had two thick and long fingers and a thumb, all with sharp talons. Their feet, only two toes, were also talons.

The appearance was probably shocking and terrifying to the first humans to encounter them, but it had been long enough now that it didn't matter. Shepard actually had a respect for the turians, understanding their culture enough to see that most of them were very focused on public service. She understood that the ones she met on her missions were the minority, the few that were tempted by gaining fortunes by pirating. There were more human pirates than turians.

"Nice to meet you," she said.

He offered her his hand. Handshakes were a human custom, and no other species she knew of had the same gesture. But she took his hand, his grip gentle.

"How do you like the ship?" he asked.

"The CIC…that's different. turian design, though, right?" she asked. The Combat Information Center, where she usually spent all of her time, was normally in the middle of the action. On the Normandy it was behind all of the other crew.

"It is," he nodded. "Do you like it?"

"I don't mind change," she said.

Lacking lips, turians didn't smile, but his tone changed into something more pleasant, "Yes, I understand you have a history of quickly adapting."

"It was nice to meet you, but I should check in with the rest of the crew."

Shepard introduced herself to the crew, and got reacquainted with Dr. Chakwas, by the time they were reaching the Mass Relay she had examined all parts of the ship and spoke with all crew and was just reaching the cockpit to stand behind the pilot when the went through the Mass Relay.

One moment, they were less than an hour from Arcturus Station, the next they were light years away and only half an hour away from Eden Prime. "Drift just under 1500k," the pilot, Jeff 'Joker' Moreau, announced.

"1500 is good, your captain will be pleased," Nihlus said from behind Shepard. She glanced back at him, his small and focused eyes met hers, then he turned and left the cockpit.

Joker glanced at Alenko, who was sitting to his right, and back to his screen, "I hate that guy."

"Nihlus gave you a compliment…so you hate him?" Alenko asked with a smirk.

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom, that's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead, so that's incredible," Joker snapped. He took a breath, "Beside, Spectres are trouble, I don't like having them onboard. Call me paranoid."

"You're paranoid," Alenko said, without hesitation. "The Council helped fund this project, they have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

"Yeah, that is the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story," Joker mumbled.

"They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs, that's for sure," Shepard added.

"So there is more going on here than the Captain is letting on, I knew it," Joker said smugly. Alenko began to frown.

"Joker! Find a comm. buoy and link us into the network, I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime. And tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the briefing room," Anderson said through the cockpit intercom.

"Aye, aye, sir," Joker said, he glanced up at her, "You get that, Commander?"

"He sounds pissed," Shepard muttered.

Joker chuckled, "He always sounds like that when he's talking to me."

"Can't imagine why," Alenko muttered.

Shepard let herself smile, "I'll see you guys after the debriefing."

Alenko turned in his chair as she walked out, her posture perfect as she walked down the corridor lined with terminals and crew at work.

"Dude, did you just check out the commander?" Joker hissed.

Alenko faced the front of the ship again, "What? No!"

"You totally did!" Joker snorted. "So, how was it?"

Alenko just shook his head and pointed at a flashing icon on the screen, "Focus on your job, air jockey."

"Ouch, insults, now? And not even an original one," Joker snickered.

When Shepard reached the briefing room Nihlus was the only one there. He turned, his tone pleasant enough as he said, "Commander, I was hoping you would get here first. Gives us a chance to talk."

"About?" Shepard asked casually, a bit tense.

"I'm interested in this world we're going to, Eden Prime. I've heard it's quite beautiful."

"I've never been there myself. Jenkins is actually from there," she answered.

"But you know of it. It's become something of a symbol for your people, hasn't it?" Nihlus asked. "Proof that humanity can establish colonies across the galaxy but also protect them. But how safe is it, really?"

"What are you getting at, Nihlus?" Shepard asked.

"Your people are still newcomers, Shepard," he said, his ton a bit softer, cautious. "The galaxy can be a very dangerous place. I wonder…is the Alliance truly ready for this?"

"Ready for what?" Shepard asked. "Nihlus, is there something I need to know?"

The door behind them opened and Anderson stepped in, "I think it's about time we let the commander know what's really going on."

Nihlus nodded, "This mission is more than a simple shakedown run."

"I knew that the moment someone said I was going to be here," Shepard said, and looked at Anderson. "We're less than half an hour out of Eden Prime, it might be useful if you let me know what I'm taking the ground team into."

"We're making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the stealth systems operational," Anderson explained. "A research team unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation. It is Prothean. This is big, Shepard. The last time humanity made a discovery like this it jumped our technology forward two hundred years. But Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something like this. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study."

"Obviously this goes beyond mere human interests, Commander. This discovery could affect every species in Council space," Nihlus said, and took a step towards her. "The beacon isn't the only reason why I am here, though. I want to see you in action. I'm here to evaluate you."

"That would explain why I bump into you every time I turn around," she muttered, easy to make a joke about it but she still frowned. "Evaluate me for what?"

Anderson looked a bit hesitant, "The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time. Humanity wants a bigger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Citadel Council. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come. You've been selected to be evaluated as a Spectre candidate."

"Your service history is impressive. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres," Nihlus said.

Shepard looked between Nihlus and Anderson, and finally looked at Nihlus, "_You_ put my name forward as a Spectre candidate?"

"Not all aliens hate humanity, Shepard. Eden Prime will be the first of many missions together."

She looked at Anderson, and back at Nihlus, and back to Anderson. A lot of reactions were going on in her head, and she wasn't sure which one was the strongest yet. She felt as if she had been set up by Anderson, her Captain and a man she had considered her friend the past few years. Joining the Spectres would be a very honorable position, however. Doing more of what she did best, perhaps. Spectres weren't tied down by Alliance protocol or even many laws, but that wasn't what appealed to her. She wasn't even sure if being a Spectre appealed to her in anyway. "Alright," she finally said, finding nothing else to say.

Anderson nodded, looking grateful. Dropping this on most soldiers would have created a reaction, but she kept her head in the game and didn't let it affect her. "You'll be in charge of the ground team. Secure the beacon and get it onto the ship ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission."

"I'll go inform the team," Shepard said, and took two steps towards the door when the intercom came on.

"Captain Anderson! Incoming transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You have to see this!" Joker said.

"Patch it through," Anderson said, Shepard walking back to his right and Nihlus on his left.

Most of the audio was static, but cries for help and screams of pain got through. On the video there were two dead soldiers, and a large ship in the distance, before the video cut out completely. "ETA?" Shepard asked.

"Fifteen minutes," Joker said.

"Get Alenko and Jenkins suited up, Commander. This mission just got a lot more complicated," Anderson said quietly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – Eden Prime**

They were in their armor, armed, and ready to be dropped in less than two minutes, waiting for the chance to get out there took forever.

Nihlus and Anderson appeared shortly before they reached Eden Prime. "You coming with us, Nihlus?" Jenkins asked.

"I move faster on my own," Nihlus said. "I'm going to be scouting ahead, I'll give you updates through the radio but other than that I want radio silence."

Shepard clenched her jaw and nodded, "Understood."

"Your first priority is to find the beacon," Anderson said after Nihlus was dropped onto the planet, outside of the colony.

"Understood," Shepard answered, checking her assault rifle one last time.

"Approaching drop point two, Captain," Joker said.

"You're on, Shepard," Anderson said, patting her shoulder and stepping away.

The Normandy was low, and they used rope to slow their fall to the ground. Once clear it took off again.

"Move out," Shepard ordered after glancing around. They had dropped into a safe zone, away from the colony and any attackers. It prevented them from being gunned down by whoever was there, but also meant they had a way to go before reaching the colony and the enemy.

They moved at a steady pace, Nihlus feeding them updates every few minutes. First ten minutes nothing of importance was relayed, but soon he reported that there were dead bodies.

They started coming across them, too. Civilians, mostly. A few soldiers.

"We have a road coming up around this bend," Jenkins said, jogging ahead.

"Wait…" Shepard started.

Jenkins rounded a cover spot and rapid fire rang loud and sharp. Alenko and Shepard ran forward, just in time to see Jenkins fall to the ground. Several more shots were fired, hitting the ground in front of them. "Back!" She shouted, grabbing Alenko and pulling him behind cover. "Assault drones," Shepard said, pointing up. Her omni-tool opened and she attempted to connect to them, "Not the colony's, enemy drones. I'm too far away to short them or hack them," she said.

"Old fashioned way," Alenko muttered, going out of cover and firing his weapon.

Shepard did the same, and one drone exploded. The next one was enveloped with dark energy from Alenko's biotic power and pulled down to the ground, being crushed on impact.

"Clear," Shepard said quietly, walking to the newest dead body.

"Went right through his shields," Alenko said quietly.

"I need you to stay focused, can you do that?" she asked seriously.

"Yeah," Alenko nodded, his voice low.

"There are only two of us, we need to move carefully," she said. "We take our time, cover to cover."

"Aye, aye, ma'am," he said.

They moved as fast as they dared, and made it another click before finding another enemy. Four of them, all humanoid machines. Working together they took them out. Shepard moved to Alenko's side, ducking under cover with him in case more were around the corner. "You know what those were?"

"It can't be Geth, can it?" he asked.

She nodded, "I've never had to fight them before, but I've seen vids. It's definitely Geth."

Geth, Artificial Intelligence. They were created by the Quarians, an alien race, hundreds of years ago for labor. But they went rogue about three hundred years ago. They drove the quarian's from their home world, and any ship that got close to them was fired on. For the most part they stayed Perseus Veil, a nebula that separated geth space from the Terminus Systems. The Terminus Systems were largely colonized by affiliations that refused to acknowledge the political authority of the Council. Both were very dangerous places.

"Think we should radio Nihlus?" Alenko asked.

"He hasn't checked in for nearly five minutes, either he's busy or he got caught by surprise," Shepard said. "We have our orders. Radio silence, and find the beacon."

They moved forward, only small groups of resistance. They got a few more clicks to the dig site, their original destination, when a human was seen running. The armor was white and red, colors of Eden Prime non-commissioned officers, and found cover behind a large boulder. After the soldier were two more geth.

Shepard grabbed the sniper rifle off her back, took a second to aim, and shot one. The hit took the small head right off of it, the body self destructed after the hit. The second one turned, only to be riddled with bullets by the hidden soldier.

Alenko and Shepard moved in slowly, and took cover with the soldier. "I'm Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. You in charge here?" she asked.

"Commander Shepard of the Normandy. Where is your unit, Williams?"

She shook her head, "I'm all that's left. The geth came out of no where, took us by surprise. I've been fighting for my life since we sent the distress call."

"Has anyone come through here, a turian?" Alenko asked.

"No turians," she said. "Just geth."

"You fit for duty, Williams?" Shepard asked.

"Yes, ma'am," she nodded, checking her rifle.

"Good, we could use all the help we can get," Shepard said. "We need to get to the dig site, we came to secure the artifact."

"It's that way, less than a click away from here, but it's in the direction I was running from, they are thick over there," she said. "But, with three of us…I think we can do it."

With William's knowledge of the area and the extra firepower they reached the site quickly. "I don't know what this thing looks like, but I was imagining big," Shepard said. "It's not here."

"It must have been moved," Williams said. "It was here this morning."

"By who? Our side, or the geth?" Alenko asked.

"No way to tell," she said. "There is a camp up this hill, beyond that the spaceport that moves cargo from the farms to the colony," Williams pointed.

"Shepard, things are bad," Nihlus said from the radio. "Watch yourself. There is a spaceport up ahead, I'm checking it out. I want you to meet me there."

"Guess we're going this way," Alenko said.

"Yeah, let's move quickly," Shepard said. "I'll feel a bit better with him having backup."

The top of the hill was a mess. There were dead bodies, but they were impaled on spikes fifteen feet in the air. Blood covered the spike all the way to the bottom. "What the hell is that?" Alenko asked.

Shepard stepped forward slowly, knowing there would be no sign of life but compelled to check anyway. As she got closer the spike lowered, quickly, collapsing on itself. And the body started to move, and blue circuitry lit up underneath the pale skin.

"How…what…what is this?" Williams asked, sounding sick.

Shepard had her pistol out, and as the thing stood up and began hobbling towards her she didn't know what to do. It was only a few feet away when it charged, grabbing her and tackling her. The three remaining spikes also dropped.

"Shepard!" Alenko shouted, pulling a biotic field around the _thing_ that was attacking her, throwing it off of her. She shot it as it was in air, and from the ground shot at the others.

"They…they are using our own dead against us!" Williams gasped. "When we go to retrieve our dead we'd just be walking into another ambush!"

Shepard looked at the bottom of the spike, careful not to stand over it. "Drains them of fluids, injects them with semi-intelligence and circuitry. We need to make sure everyone knows about these things. This is sick…how is this even possible?" she swallowed hard, "Watch out for these things while we move ahead. I want to get to that spaceport."

Nihlus was at the spaceport, and he knew he wasn't alone. He stayed in cover, and when he felt it was safe stood up to confront the other, but he was shocked. It was another turian, and also a fellow Spectre, "Saren!?"

"Nihlus," Saren said, turning to his old friend.

"This isn't your mission, Saren. What are you doing here?" Nihlus asked.

"Council thought you could use some help with this one," Saren said, casually.

"I wasn't expecting to find the geth here," Nihlus admitted, holstering his weapon. He turned his back on Saren and relaxed a bit, looking at the dead bodies and broken pieces of geth he had to take down to reach this spot, "The situation is bad."

"Don't worry," Saren said, silently taking out his pistol. "I've got it under control."

There was a single gunshot heard in the distance. "Must be Nihlus cleaning up at the spaceport," Alenko said.

"Keep your eyes sharp," Shepard said.

They reached the spaceport, only to find Nihlus dead, dark blue blood pooled around his head.

There was a slight movement behind some of the crates, and the three soldiers aimed. A human stood up slowly, "Oh, god! Please don't shoot! I'm human…like you!"

Shepard lowered her weapon, "Sneaking up on us like that nearly got you killed!" she snapped.

"I…I'm sorry!" he said, trembling.

"How long were you back there?" she asked him.

"The whole time….I…I hid when the machines came. I couldn't move. I was afraid to breathe! I heard them kill everyone. It got really quiet...then the turian came," he said.

"The turian's name was Nihlus," Shepard snapped.

"No…not that one. The other turian," he said.

"There were two? I thought there were no turians on Eden Prime," Shepard said, looking at Ashley.

"The one that got here first…he was ordering geth to move to the dock at the colony for the pick up. They left, and the dead turian, Nihlus, came. They sounded like they knew each other, he called the other one 'Saren' but then…Saren shot him right in the back of the head."

"You are positive?" Shepard asked.

The man started crying and his knees buckles, "I'm sorry…I can't…stay here…I saw…oh god…"

"Hey…calm down," Shepard said quietly.

"They went to the other dock, the one that is connected to the colony," he said. "The other turian was looking for the beacon. I knew that thing was bad news as soon as they found it."

"The beacon…do you know where it is?" Shepard asked.

"We loaded it up on the transport earlier this morning to be taken to the dock," he said. "Just an hour before the geth showed up."

"Lock yourself inside the office here, stay quiet," Shepard instructed.

"You…you're just going to leave?"

"They are going to the colony," Shepard said. "You've been able to stay hidden this long behind crates, locked office is better. We have to do what we can to keep them from slaughtering everyone on this colony like they did everyone at this port."

They got on the transport, a platform that moved from the spaceport to the docking area of the colony.

"Alright, they have a good fifteen minute head start to the port," Shepard said to her team. "We can hope that all colonists have gone for cover, the attack wasn't centered on the colony before. However, check your sights, make sure no civilians are in the crossfire. We know the enemy wants the beacon, we still have to attempt to secure it. Now, what I think we…"

"Commander?" Williams interrupted, and pointed.

Shepard turned, her lips parting in surprise. There was a massive ship lowering down, at the dock they were heading to. Extremely large ships weren't capable of landing on planets, and that was an extremely large ship. And unique, unlike anything she had ever seen. Something about its design must have made it capable of entering the atmosphere safely, without crashing down due to the gravity. It almost looked like a hand, five giant claws at the bottom of it close together, but moving slightly. Was that a Geth ship?

At the dock Saren noticed the transport platform on its way. He ordered his geth to intercept the passengers when they arrived, and walked up to the beacon. Once his work was done, he boarded the massive ship, and left the rest of the geth on Eden Prime.

The ship was disappearing in the sky as the transport stopped. Shepard ordered the team to move carefully.

"Commander…we have a serious problem," Alenko said.

"What?" she asked, looking at him, then following his eyes. "That's a bomb."

"I know," he said.

"That is a serious bomb," Shepard muttered, kneeling next to it. She held up her left hand and her omni-tool appeared. She let out a quiet curse as she got the information on the device, "It's big enough to destroy the colony."

"What do we do?" Williams asked.

"Being quiet, would help," Shepard said. "I have to disarm it."

"Is that safe?" Alenko asked.

"We don't have time to not try," she said tensely.

"We can't be quiet…geth incoming!" Williams warned.

"We got you covered," Alenko said. Shepard herself was fairly well protected, the bomb nestled in a corner that protected her from two sides completely. Alenko and Williams worked on taking out the geth and keeping them from flanking her as she worked on disarming it.

Shepard stood up, pulling out her pistol and moving out to finish the geth.

"The bomb?" Alenko asked nervously.

"Disarmed," she answered.

Alenko looked back at the bomb, in the few minutes they had been fighting geth she had taken apart the casing, removed the internal components and separated the deadlier ones. Once the fight was over he leaned against the wall to catch his breath, "How did you learn to do that?" he asked her.

She tapped the N7 emblem on the chest of her armor. She leaned back a bit and let out a shaky breath, "Still, scary as hell."

"For my own sake I'm just going to pretend you were entirely confident the whole time," Williams said.

"Let's keep moving. I hope that ship took most of them away, but stay alert."

There were still dozens of geth around, there to prevent anyone from attempting to flee.

"Commander! Area is clear, and look! The beacon! They left it here," Williams said, pointing.

"Stay back," Shepard ordered, moving slowly onto the dock. The beacon was nearly five feet tall, about a foot thick, and glowing. After Shepard made sure no more enemies were around she holstered her weapon, her team did the same.

"Amazing, it wasn't doing anything like this when they dug it up," Williams said, looking over the beacon.

Shepard activated her radio, "Normandy, this is Shepard, do you read?"

"Loud and clear, Commander," Joker said, sounding a bit relieved.

"The beacon is secure, I'm sending coordinates. What's your ETA?"

Behind her Williams and Alenko continued to admire the beacon, "Wow, an actual working piece of Prothean technology. This is amazing," Alenko said, taking a few steps towards the beacon to get a better look.

There was a hum of energy, and a field of dark energy began to pull at Alenko, drawing him closer to the beacon.

Shepard turned when she heard it, seeing Alenko trying to fight the pull, his boots sliding across the ground uselessly. "Alenko!" she shouted, running towards him. No one knew what the beacon did, how it worked, or what it was going to do to him. She lost one man already, she wasn't going back with two coffins. She dodged to the right, and ran at Alenko from the side, pushing him away. She tried to tackle him, to fall with him, but the pull grabbed at her as it had him, and now she was the one being pulled toward the beacon. First, dragging her feet, then being lifted off the ground. Her eyes widened as the force enveloped her, felt like it was going to crush her.

"No! Don't touch her, it's too dangerous!" Williams shouted, grabbing Alenko before he could try to save Shepard like she did to him.

Shepard's body tensed and writhed in the air, the hum grew and grew, and then the beacon exploded. Shepard flew back, knocked out cold.

Dr. Chakwas was there when Williams and Alenko carried her onboard, and looked over her. Physically, no serious injuries. No brain damage, no signs of concussion. But she wouldn't wake up.

Shepard's mind was being tormented, and not it's usual torment. Usual torment meant seeing deaths of people she had to kill in combat, something she didn't feel guilty about. It was simply them or her. Deaths of fallen comrades, guilt for not being faster or more alert. Death of civilians, anger at not being there in time.

This torment was different. There were people dying, but they were blurry, no faces. They were being slaughtered efficiently, by machines. There were hundreds of still images, none of them made sense and she couldn't focus on just one for very long. But she understood one thing of the whole message, _danger_.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 - Normandy**

Having already escaped Eden Prime Saren was far away, making sure his influence on Eden Prime was unknown he was halfway across the galaxy when he discovered that Eden Prime didn't detonate as it was supposed to. Failure wasn't something he dealt with easily, and already things were in motion to discover what happened, who did it, and how to destroy them.

"We've identified the ship that touched down on Eden Prime. The Normandy. A Human Alliance vessel in the command of Captain Anderson."

"And the beacon?" Saren said in a near-growl. That was the most important thing. They wouldn't have been able to easily move the beacon, and it had already given him what he needed. But it was important to make sure no one else was able to use it.

"One of the humans may have used it," the asari said.

Saren exploded. His rage dispersing as he destroyed half of his command center. He approached the asari and grabbed her by the throat. She didn't flinch or try to avoid him. As he looked into her eyes, he calmed enough to say, "This human must be eliminated."

_--On the Normandy--_

The human in question was still unconscious, safe on the Normandy and in the med bay under the careful care of Doctor Chakwas.

"Lieutenant, if you aren't in need of my services perhaps you would be more comfortable in the mess. I don't enjoy having people hovering over me as I work," said the doctor.

The Lieutenant had his head in his hands, he had just finished his debriefing with Captain Anderson and felt that because of what he did as soon as they reached the Citadel he was going to be thrown off the Normandy. Failing a mission was one thing, but recklessly approaching ancient technology was another. And then having your ass saved by your Commander only to have her in a coma afterwards…was on another level once again. His head was pounding with the stress, and all he wanted was for Commander Shepard to be alright.

"Another migraine?"

Alenko nodded slowly, "Too much stress, I think."

Doctor Chakwas prepared something for him. Alenko's biotic abilities were impressive and were so because of L2 implants, however a side effect were migraines, seriously painful migraines. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Lieutenant. Commander Shepard appears to be stable."

Alenko felt the sting as she injected him with something to relieve the pain, "Appears to be?"

"I won't lie, I have no idea what happened to her. But her vitals are good." Chakwas sighed as she read the concern on Alenko's face. "You know, I was on Elysium during the Skyllian Blitz, too. I met Shepard, then. She was a Lieutenant, got her promotion after that. Well deserved. She walked in the hospital, helping two soldiers, one under each of her shoulder, while she was injured herself. And went back out to retrieve her commander. Wouldn't let me remove the bullets in her arms, leg, or neck before ensuring everyone else who needed treatment got it first." Chakwas was chuckling, but Alenko didn't find it humorous. "They were just flesh wounds, her armor kept them from going very deep. Must have been painful, though." She sighed, "Alenko, a knock to the head won't keep Commander Shepard down."

"I understand you are trying to make me feel better, and I can appreciate the thought. However, you are just reminding me that if she doesn't pull through that I am to blame for costing the Alliance one of the best soldiers they have."

"Hm, I suppose it could be seen that way," Chakwas muttered.

Against Doctor Chakwas's requests that he leave, Kaidan stayed in the med bay, determined to see Commander Shepard through whatever happened to her because of his recklessness.

"Doctor?" Kaidan hollered.

Commander Shepard grimaced at the noise, and worked slowly to open her eyes.

"Doctor Chakwas, she's waking up!" Alenko said.

Shepard groaned a bit as she sat up. A strong hand was placed on her back that helped and steadied her. She swayed a bit, but managed to stay up. "You had us worried there, Shepard." Doctor Chakwas said, stepping out of her office. "How are you feeling?"

Shepard put a hand to her head, "Like the morning after shore leave. How long was I out?" she muttered, looking around and trying to figure out where she was. Pounding head, thirsty as hell, stomach felt steady but hungry.

"About fifteen hours. Something happened down there with the beacon, I think," Chakwas said.

The beacon…Shepard started to remember. And wished that she hadn't. The horrible dreams, the visions that the beacon had burned into her mind.

"It was my fault," Alenko said, stepping to the side of the table so he could see the side of her face. "I must have triggered some kind of security field when I approached it. You had to push me out of the way."

A sinking feeling of dread settled in the pit of Shepard's stomach as her mind cleared up more, "You had no way to know that would happen. Don't worry about it, Alenko."

"Actually we don't even know if that's what set it off. Unfortunately we'll never get a chance to find out," Doctor Chakwas said, putting a hand on Shepard's forehead to tilt her head back enough to look into her eyes. Shepard grimaced as a light was shined into her eyes.

"The beacon exploded. System overload, maybe. The blast knocked you cold. Williams and I had to carry you back to the ship." Lieutenant Alenko said.

"I appreciate it," Shepard said, letting her head lower a bit after Doctor Chakwas was done.

"Well, physically you're fine," Doctor Chakwas said with a bit of a frown, "but I detected some unusual brain activity. Abnormal beta waves. I also noticed an increase in your REM sleep. Signs typically related to intense dreaming."

Shepard visibly paled, "I don't think it was a dream. I…I'm not sure what I saw. Death. Destruction. Nothing is really clear."

"Hm. I'll have to add that to my report. It may…" The door to the med bay opened and everyone looked. "Oh…Captain Anderson."

Shepard got off the bed and stood up straight for Captain Anderson, "How's our XO holding up?"

"Well all the readings look normal. I'd say the Commander is going to be fine."

"Glad to hear it. Shepard, I need to speak to you in private."

"Aye, aye, Captain. I'll be in the mess if you need me," Alenko said with a nod.

Captain Anderson waited for the door to close, and relaxed his posture. "Are you sure you're all right? That beacon hit you pretty hard…"

"Cap, I'm fine," Shepard assured him, and sat down. "What happened to Gunnery Chief Williams? Did she make it out alright?"

"I figured we could use a soldier like her. She's been reassigned to the Normandy."

"She deserves it. And I suppose we had to replace Jenkins?" Shepard added glumly.

"Jenkins wasn't your fault, you did a good job, Shepard."

"Would have done a good job. We had no idea what we were walking into down there. Things really went to hell."

"The geth haven't been outside the veil in three hundred years, there was no way to predict this." Captain Anderson sat across from his friend. "I'm not going to lie to you, Shepard, things look bad. Nihlus is dead. The beacon was destroyed. And geth are invading. The Council is going to want answers."

"I didn't do anything wrong, Captain," Shepard said confidently.

"I'll stand behind you and your report, Shepard. You are a damned hero in my books. But that's not why I'm here. It's Saren, that other turian." Shepard clenched her jaw at just the mention of Nihlus's murderer, the one behind the massacre at Eden Prime. "Saren is a Spectre. One of the best, a living legend. But if he's working with the geth it means he's gone rogue. A rogue Spectre is trouble, Saren is dangerous. And he hates humans."

"Most aliens think we're growing too fast and taking over the galaxy, what makes him different?" Shepard muttered.

"Saren has allied himself with the geth, that makes him different. I don't know how, and I don't know why. I only know it has something to do with that beacon. You were there right before the beacon exploded, did you see anything? A clue that might tell us what Saren was after?" Captain Anderson looked at her, hoping a pleading with his eyes.

Shepard leaned back and closed her eyes. She was ready to believe what she had seen was just a bad dream from the events on Eden Prime…but they weren't. "Friend to friend? Off the record for the moment?"

"Of course."

"I think that I had some kind of vision."

Captain Anderson narrowed his eyes, "A vision? A vision of what?"

"I saw synthetics, geth maybe. Slaughtering people. Butchering them." Commander Shepard swallowed hard, trying to get the bad taste out of her mouth just from saying it. The vision was just as clear as it had been while she received it, burned into her mind and constantly playing. "None of it is clear."

"We need to report this to the Council, Shepard," Captain Anderson said after a long moment of silence.

Shepard snorted, "What are we going to tell them, that I had a bad dream?"

"We don't know what information was stored in that beacon. Lost Prothean technology. Blueprints for some lost ancient weapon of mass destruction. Whatever it was, Saren took it. And I know Saren, I know his reputation and his politics. He believes humans are a blight on the galaxy. This attack was an act of war. He has the secrets from the beacon. He has an army of geth at his command. And he won't stop until he wipes humanity from the face of the galaxy."

Shepard forced the vision to stop playing over and over as she focused on Captain Anderson's words. If she took the vision out of play, what she was up against was nothing more than a turian. Something that could be seen, touched, killed. A clear enemy was defined. "I'll find some way to take him down, sir."

"It's not that easy. He's a Spectre. He can go anywhere, do almost anything. That's why we need the Council on our side."

Commander Shepard frowned, "Alright. If we can prove Saren has gone rogue we can get the Council to revoke his Spectre status."

Captain Anderson smiled, "That's the Shepard I know. I've already contacted the ambassador, he's trying to get us an audience with the Council when we arrive. We should be getting close to the Citadel, we only stayed on Eden Prime to clear out the geth and make sure you were stable."

Anderson left her in the med bay. Shepard stretched stiff muscles, other than some aching in her right shoulder and throbbing in her head she felt pretty good as long as she didn't let her mind wander to those violent images. Out of the med bay she went to the mess.

"Commander, I'm…I'm glad you are alright. Losing Jenkins was hard on the crew, and…I'm glad we didn't lose you too," Lieutenant Alenko said as she reached the mess hall.

"Yeah, things were rough down there," she muttered.

"You never get used to seeing dead civilians. It doesn't seem right somehow. But at least you stopped them from wiping out the whole colony."

Shepard shook her head, "It couldn't have been done without you. I still wish I could have done something to save Jenkins."

"I was there, you did everything right!" Alenko said quickly, "It was just…bad luck. It's been a hell of a shakedown cruise. Our first mission ends with one Spectre killing another. The Citadel Council is not going to be happy about that. Probably use it to leverage more concessions out of the Alliance."

"You have a good grasp on the situation," Commander Shepard said. "You a career man?"

"Yeah, a lot of Biotics are. We aren't restricted but we sure as hell don't go undocumented. May as well get a paycheck for it. Besides my father served, made him proud when I enlisted. Eventually. What about you? Were either of your parents in the army?"

"No, um…no parents, actually."

"I'm…sorry, I shouldn't have…" Alenko muttered quickly, mentally kicking himself for trying to be friendly. They barely knew each other, he had no reason to be probing into her personal life.

"It's alright," Shepard assured him. The question didn't bother her, she just hadn't expected to be asked. Most people didn't try to get to know her.

"I was just going to get something to eat. Are you hungry, Commander?" He asked, seeing her eyes moving from him to the provisions available.

"Starving."

"Word is we're heading to the Citadel. Can you say why?" Alenko asked as they sat across from each other.

"The Captain hopes the ambassador can get an audience with the Council and tell them what Saren has been up to."

"Makes sense, they'd probably like to know he isn't working for them anymore."

"Yeah, you'd think, wouldn't you?" Shepard frowned. "I know that Saren is a Spectre, but to me it seems like it would be a better idea to leave the Council out of it. I'm not sure they are going to let us start a manhunt on one of their own operatives."

Kaidan thought it over, and then nodded. "I can see your point. But I think it would be a worse idea to go behind their backs on it."

"Yeah. I hate politics," Shepard muttered.

"You and me both," Another voice said. "Sorry, didn't mean to butt in."

"Williams, good to see you," Shepard said with a smile.

"I'm glad you're okay, Commander," Ashley said.

"What about you, are you okay?" Shepard asked, narrowing her eyes on her fellow soldier. Williams had seen her friends, all of her unit, killed on Eden Prime. It wasn't something you walked away from lightly…Shepard knew that.

"I've seen friends die before, it comes with being a marine. But to see my whole unit wiped out," Ashley said quietly, taking a seat next to the Commander. "And you never get used to seeing dead civilians. But things would have been a lot worse if you hadn't shown up."

"We couldn't have done it without you, Williams," Kaidan said.

Ashley was silent for several moments before saying, "Thanks, guys. I was…was really concerned about being assigned to the Normandy. A new place, new people, different people."

"You fought at our side on Eden Prime, Williams, we aren't going to forget about that. I'm glad you're on our team."

"Thank you, Commander."

"Approaching the Citadel in twenty minutes," Joker said over the intercom.

Captain Anderson entered the mess hall, "You heard him, I want the three of you ready to go ashore when we dock."

"All of us, sir?" Kaidan asked, standing up.

"I want the ground team from Eden Prime there to answer questions if needed. Twenty minutes, soldiers."

"Aye, aye, Captain," they said in unison.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 – The Citadel**

Commander Shepard cleaned up and dressed in her basic uniform with her pistol holstered on her hip. She then went to the helm to oversee Joker. "Good timing, Commander, I was just about to bring us into the Citadel."

Kaidan and Ashley showed up just a minute later. The Citadel is an ancient deep-space station that many believed was constructed by the Protheans. It served as the political, cultural and financial capital of the galactic community. The station housed millions of all species.

The Citadel was made up of a center ring, called the Presidium. In the center of the Presidium was the Citadel Tower, which holds the Council chambers. The Presidium also housed the embassies, and more expensive private apartments.

The Wards, which were five massive arms that were connected to the Presidium, was where the majority of the citizens lived. Normally the Wards were open, giving the Citadel an appearance of a giant flower. But if the Citadel were ever attacked the Wards can be closed together, making the station an impenetrable shell.

Circling around the Citadel was a massive spaceship, which caught everyone's attention. "Look at the size of that ship!" Ashley gasped, pressing her face against the window of the Normandy to get a closer look.

"The Ascension. Flagship of the Citadel Fleet," Kaidan said, smiling at Ashley's excitement.

"Well size isn't everything," Joker muttered as he flew under it. The Normandy was barely a grain of salt compared to it.

"Why so touchy, Joker?" Ashley grinned.

"I'm just saying, you need firepower, too," Joker said.

"Look at that monster! Its main guns could rip through the hull of any ship on the Alliance fleet!"

Commander Shepard stepped between Joker and Ashley, "It's a good thing it's on our side, then."

Joker shook his head, "Citadel control this is the SSV Normandy requesting permission to land."

"Come on, guys, we have a date with the ambassador," said Shepard, and she made her way to the airlock.

They were quiet as they rode the elevator and through their walk to the embassies. Commander Shepard hadn't officially met Ambassador Udina before, but she had heard of him and seen him in press releases.

They reached the ambassador's office to find him in a conversation with the Council. The three Council members were being projected as holograms and were facing Udina, they were unable to see Captain Anderson and the others walk in. "This is an outrage! The Council would step in if the geth attacked a turian colony!" Udina shouted, and he had a point.

"The turians don't found colonies on the borders of the Terminus System, Ambassador," the salarian councilor said, and he also had a point.

"What about Saren? You can't just ignore a rogue Spectre, I demand action!" Udina shouted.

"You don't get to make demands of the Council, Ambassador," the turian councilor said harshly.

"Citadel Security is investigating your charges against Saren. We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the hearing, not before. Good day, Ambassador," the asari said.

The holograms disappeared and Udina uttered a low growl before turning to face Captain Anderson. "Captain Anderson, I see you brought half your crew with you."

"Just the ground team from Eden Prime. In case you had any questions for them," Anderson explained.

"I have the mission reports, I assume they are accurate?" Udina paced across his office to sit at his desk.

"They are," Anderson nodded slightly. "It sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience."

Udina frowned, "They were not too happy about it. Saren is their top agent. They don't like him being accused of treason."

"Saren is a threat to every human colony out there, he needs to be stopped," Shepard said, taking a step forward to stand by Captain Anderson's side. "The Council has to listen to us."

"Settle down, Commander. You've already done more than enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres. The mission on Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done. Instead Nihlus ended up dead! And the beacon was destroyed!" Udina stood up from his desk to lean forward and shout at her.

Captain Anderson's nostrils flared as Udina challenged his friend, "That's Saren's fault, not hers!"

"Then we better hope the C-Sec investigation turns up evidence to support our accusations. Otherwise the Council may use this as an excuse to keep you out of the Spectres. Come with me, Captain. I want to go over a few things before the hearing. Shepard, you and the…others, can meet us at the Citadel Tower in an hour. I'll make sure you have clearance to get in."

Shepard and her team waited for the Captain and Ambassador to leave the office. Ashley broke the silence with, "That's why I hate politicians."

"Commander?" Alenko asked quietly.

"Go ahead," Shepard said softly, pulling a chair away from the small table and sitting down.

"You…you're becoming a Spectre?"

Shepard let out a laugh, "Doesn't look like it, does it? Lieutenant, it wasn't something I wanted to get around, and I didn't find out until minutes before we were dropped on Eden Prime. Nihlus was on the Normandy to…evaluate me."

"That's incredible! There has never been a human Spectre! You're going to be the first…"

"I had the chance, and it didn't go so well. I'm not going to beat myself up over it, because I'm happy where I am. I never asked to be considered for it, and it was never something I had considered aiming for. I can't lose something I never had in the first place."

Alenko thought it over, then nodded, "Still, Commander, just to be considered, that has to be a huge honor."

"No kidding. Spectres are the best of the best," Ashley said softly.

"I suppose it's a bit flattering that someone considered me for it. But…again, I'm happy where I am with the Alliance. If I was a Spectre, I'd be working for the Council instead. But it's not worth worrying over, after Eden Prime, hell will freeze over before the Council makes me a Spectre, or any other human, I'm sure."

"Let's not think that way. This is my first trip to the Citadel, probably my only trip, I'm itching to check it out," Ashley said.

Shepard smiled, "We'll take the long way to the Tower. I'm not in any hurry."

The trio were fairly quiet, Kaidan and Shepard taking turns to point out sights to Ashley. "Nasty…what is that thing!"

Ashley pointed at an alien creature. It was almost spider-like, but it came up to Ashley's waist. It scurried away from them and approached a console, rising off its front legs and accessing the control. "Citadel Keepers, they are harmless. They are what keep the Citadel running so smoothly." Shepard said. "From what I hear they were here before the Citadel was populated, possibly bred by the Protheans to do their manual labor, but no one really knows. Creepy, but harmless," Shepard said.

They moved into the wards and markets. "How much time do we have left?" Alenko asked.

"About fifteen minutes, we should…"

"Wow…" Ashley gasped, walking away.

There was a large window looking out over the wards, and the artificial light had started to dim simulating sunset. Shepard and Alenko followed her, leaning against the windowsill.

"Big place," Alenko muttered, looking out at the lighted wards.

"Is that your professional opinion, sir?" Ashley smirked.

"Yeah, it's not so much a station as it is a city," Shepard said.

"There must be millions here," Alenko muttered. "I knew it was large…but…this is something else."

"This makes Jump Zero look like a Porto john, and it's the largest deep space station the Alliance has," Williams said.

"Jump Zero is big, but this is a whole other scale. Look at the ward arms, how do they keep all of that mass from flying apart?" Alenko wondered, learning forward until his forehead was nearly against the glass.

Shepard smiled at his amazement. "It might be one of those things you forget to think about. Doesn't matter if you know how, just that it does. The Council represents a lot of races. But this puts it into perspective, definitely. Makes me understand why they are careful with newcomers."

"They probably just want to keep everything running. It must be hard keeping all these cultures working together." Alenko said, leaning back a bit and feeling silly for his excitement over the view. Commander Shepard must have thought he was some FNG for going off like that.

"Maybe they just don't like humans," Ashley suggested bitterly.

"Why not? We've got oceans, beautiful women, this emotion called love. According to the old vids we have everything they want," Shepard joked.

Alenko had to smile, "When you put it that way there is no reason they wouldn't like you…I mean, us, humans, ma'am." Alenko's face reddened as Shepard looked over with an amused look. He had to look away and tugged at the collar of his uniform.

Ashley burst out laughing, "You don't take much shore leave, do you, L-T?"

"Alright, laugh it up, Chief," Shepard chuckled, wondering why the simple slip of the word was so amusing. "Come on, we need to keep moving."

Alenko looked over and met Commander Shepard's eyes, "Uh, aye, aye, ma'am."

"I'll walk drag, ma'am," Ashley said with a smirk.

Kaidan gave Ashley a warning glare behind Shepard's back. Just a slip of the tongue, that's all. His mouth saying the words before his head could see how they would sound. His mother would have called it a Freudian slip.

Commander Shepard started to lead her team towards the Citadel Tower, the three of them silent. She still had a bit of a smile on her lips, how her silly joke had turned on her with that unexpected comment from Alenko. Battlefield flirting was harmless, even enjoyable on long cruises. Alenko seemed like serious guy, though. Handsome, but serious. His dark brown eyes, looking one way and the other, scanning the area they were in or maybe just avoiding her look. Black hair, cut short in the back, a bit longer in the top of his head. His skin had a natural tan to it, sort of an olive tone, and his eyes showed evidence of an Asian ancestry. Broad shoulders and chest, strong Alliance build.

Shepard coughed to clear her throat, taking her mind off of the physical qualities Alenko had that she liked (which was all of them), and focusing on the task at hand.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 – The Council**

The team went up the elevator, which only took them a third of the way up the tower. After that there were several steps of stairs to climb to get to the actual room to meet with the Council.

"Saren is hiding something, give me more time!" Someone could be heard arguing. "Stall them."

Shepard signaled to her team to slow down as they approached a pair of turian C-Sec officers.

"Stall the Council? Don't be ridiculous. Your investigation is over, Garrus."

Shepard was only a few feet away from the turians, one turned his back and walked further up the Tower, but the one named Garrus looked at her and took a step closer. "Commander Shepard?" She nodded. "Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation against Saren."

Shepard shook his hand when he offered it, "Who was that?"

"That was Executor Pallin, head of Citadel Security and my boss. He'll be presenting my findings to the Council."

Shepard frowned, Garrus didn't sound convinced that it was a good thing. "Sounds like you really want to bring him down."

"I don't trust him. Something about him rubs me the wrong way. But he's a Spectre," Garrus said with a nasty tone, "everything he touches is classified. I can't find any hard evidence." Garrus looked behind him where the hearing could be heard starting, "Good luck, Shepard, maybe they'll listen to you."

"We better book it, Commander," Alenko said, his first words since his embarrassing slip in the markets.

Captain Anderson was waiting for them in front of the courtroom, "Let's go, it's already started."

The reached the platform where Ambassador Udina was impatiently listening to the Council. The same three aliens that appeared on his hologram console were there in person, and a hologram of a turian was high above them. "The geth attack is a matter of some concern, but there is nothing to indicate that Saren was involved in any way," the asari councilor said.

"The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason," the turian councilor added.

"An eyewitness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood!" Udina growled.

"We've read the Eden Prime report, Ambassador, the testimony of one traumatized dockworker is hardly compelling proof." The salarian councilor said.

"I resent these accusations. Nihlus was a fellow Spectre and a friend." The turian appearing through a hologram console said. Shepard looked up at him, memorizing his face. His head wider and rounder than most turians, taller and heavier, too. That was Saren. A deep hatred boiled up in her from nowhere. There truly was no evidence of what Saren may have done, she had never seen him before that moment, but how he spoke his words convinced her he was lying. Or perhaps she was being shortsighted, she didn't know.

"That just let you catch him off guard!" Captain Anderson shouted.

"Captain Anderson?" Saren said in a silky voice. "You always seem to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me." Saren's eyes fell onto Shepard. "And this must be your protégé, Commander Shepard. The one who let the beacon get destroyed."

"The mission to Eden Prime was top secret. The only way you could know about the beacon was if you were there!" Shepard countered, feeling rather smart about catching his slip.

"With Nihlus gone his files passed on to me. I read the Eden Prime report, I was unimpressed. But what can you expect, from a human?" Saren said in the same silky voice.

Shepard turned away from Saren and looked to the Council to plead with them, "Saren obviously despises humanity, that's why he attacked Eden Prime!"

"Your species needs to learn its place, Shepard. You're not ready to join the Council. You aren't even ready to join the Spectres." Saren said.

"He has no right to say that! That is not his decision!" Udina exploded.

"Enough!" the asari councilor said sharply. "Shepard's admission into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting."

"This meeting has no purpose. The humans are wasting your time, Councilor. And mine." Saren said in a tired voice.

"Saren is hiding behind his position as a Spectre. You need to open your eyes!" Shepard pleaded once more with the Council.

"What we need is evidence. So far we've seen nothing," the salarian councilor said.

"There is still one outstanding issue," Captain Anderson stepped forward. "Commander Shepard's vision. It may have been triggered by the beacon."

Shepard glared at Captain Anderson, hurt and pissed that he would attempt to bring it up. And in front of Saren. Somehow Saren knowing she had seen something from the beacon disturbed her. If his attack on Eden Prime had anything to do with the Beacon it was important…it should stay classified and within the Allaince.

"Are we allowing dreams into evidence now? How can I defend my innocence against this kind of testimony?" Saren laughed.

"I agree. Our judgment must be base on facts and evidence, not wild imaginings." The turian councilor said quickly.

"Very well. Do you have anything else to add?" the salarian said.

Shepard looked away from Anderson and to the Council, "You've made your decision. I won't waste my breath."

"The Council has found no evidence of any connection between Saren and the geth. Ambassador, your petition to have him disbarred from the Spectre's is denied," said the asari.

"I'm glad to see justice was served," Saren said. Shepard looked up at him, and he met her eyes briefly before the hologram shut down.

They retreated to the lobby of the tower. "It was a mistake bringing you into that hearing, Captain. You and Saren have too much history, it made the Council question our motives."

"I know Saren, he's working with the geth for one reason. To exterminate the entire human race. Every colony we have is at risk! Every world we control is in danger, even Earth isn't safe!"

"Wait," Shepard put up a hand, glaring angrily at Anderson. "Tell me about this history between you and Saren."

Anderson's eyes widened slightly, "It's not important…"

Shepard took a step forward, "Like hell it isn't, Captain, if this is going to jeopardize what we came here for, my mission, I need to know."

Anderson looked away from her, "I worked with him on a mission a long time ago. Things went bad, real bad. We shouldn't go over this here, but I know what he's like. He has to be stopped. I hope that will be enough for now."

Shepard glanced at her team and back at her Captain, "Fine. But we need to deal with Saren."

"As a Spectre he's virtually untouchable. We need to find some way to expose him," Udina said thoughtfully.

"What about Garrus?" Alenko suggested. "He was asking for more time to finish his report, he may have been onto something."

"Good start, but there are only half a million places he could be in the Citadel." Shepard frowned.

"I have a contact in C-Sec who can help us track him down. His name is Harkin." Udina suggested.

"Forget it. They suspended Harkin last month for drinking on the job. I won't waste my time on him," Anderson said.

"You won't have to, sir," Shepard said softly. "It may be best if I take over, we can't let the Council use your history with Saren as an excuse."

Udina frowned, "Alright, you have a point. Meet me in my office later, Captain. Shepard, keep me updated."

"You can probably find Harkin in Chora's den, it's a dingy little club in the lower wards," Anderson said after Udina left.

"You ready to share your history, Cap?" Shepard asked shortly.

Anderson sighed, "It was about twenty years ago. I was part of a mission in the Skyllian Verge. I was working with Saren to find and remove a known terrorist threat. Saren eliminated his target, but a lot of people died along the way. Innocent people. And the official records just covered it up. But I saw how he operated, no conscience. No hesitation. He'd kill a thousand innocent civilians to end a war without a second thought."

Shepard shook her head, "Killing innocents doesn't end a war, it causes them."

"I know how the world works, Commander. Sometimes you are forced to make unpleasant decisions. But only if there is no other way. Saren doesn't even look for another way. He's twisted, broken, he likes the violence and the killing. And he knows how to cover his tracks."

"You never mentioned this, why?"

"I don't know, Shepard, I guess I was hoping it wouldn't come up. But that was foolish of me. But you should get moving. I'll be at the Ambassador's office if you need me."

The team entered the elevator and waited impatiently as it descended. "You alright, Commander?" Alenko asked.

"I'm pissed off, but I'm going to make it." Shepard answered.

"You and the Captain…" Alenko started.

"Are friends, I owe him a lot. He's always been honest with me, and now he's hiding something. I don't like being in the dark, I don't know if what he can tell me will make this scavenger hunt go any smoother. But I trust if he thought it was important he'd tell me."

"You think there is more to the story?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah, I do," Shepard said, stepping out of the elevator.

Alenko recognized that Shepard was full marine-mode, and changed his attitude to match hers. She was pissed and determined, and had an Alliance issue pistol that could take make a skull explode at a decent range just inches from her hand, he wasn't going to get on her bad side and foul up this mission.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 – The Wards**

In the back office of Chora's Den the owner, Fist, was meeting with a few mercenaries. "This is the target, she's here in the Citadel."

The hired assassin, he and his partner were human, looked at it, "Commander Shepard, human. Why?"

"You don't get paid to know why, just find and kill her. This comes straight the boss," Fist said.

"Boss, got word that bounty hunter is on his way back," another human poked his head into the office.

Fist swallowed hard, "Do what you have to."

Chora's Den was a good walk from the Citadel Tower, almost half an hour. By the time they had reached it Shepard's anger against the Captain had dissipated, but her mind was still sharp and ready. And she was lucky for that.

Stepping into the lower wards was a great change, it was much darker than the Presidium and upper wards, and a lot of seedy operations went down there. There was no foot traffic, and it was completely silent except for their footsteps…and the steps of a few others.

The two human assassins had left Chora's Den and were on their way to C-Sec, planning to get information on Shepard. But there she was.

"Down!" Shepard cried out only a second before the first gun fired.

"Where are they?" Ashley whispered, pulling out her pistol.

Shepard signaled to Kaidan to watch one side, Ashley the rear, and Shepard crept around the corner to get a visual. Three more shots were fired and Shepard jumped back to hide. "Two, professionals from the looks of it. I can't get a clear shot without getting my head blown off, I need cover fire to change positions."

"Got it, Commander," Kaidan said.

Without looking around the corner Kaidan moved his pistol to fire blindly towards the direction of the attackers. Shepard ran while the attackers took cover, leaving herself open as she found a spot to attack. At a low wall the two gunmen were visible, and before they noticed that she was in the open she fired several shots, taking both of them down.

"All clear!" Shepard called, holstering her pistol and standing straight.

They walked over to the bodies, both of them were humans. "Mercenaries or assassins?" Ashley frowned.

Kaidan took one of their Omni-tools and hacked into it. "Assassins," he said in a low voice, turning the console so the women could see. A picture of Commander Shepard was there, below that text stating where she could be found and that she needed to be eliminated. "Welcoming party from Saren, maybe?"

"Anything from that message that can be linked back to Saren?" Shepard asked hopefully. It may not prove he was at Eden Prime, but that he was trying to kill her would be enough to expose him for treason.

"No, nothing," Kaidan sighed. "Want me to call C-Sec?"

"Hold that thought. If Saren or whoever sent these men finds out that they are dead, and two bodies being brought out by C-Sec would do the trick, they'll send more. Not that I'm not up for the challenge, it's just we have more important things right now."

"Not a bad idea, Commander," Ashley said.

The next ten minutes to Chora's Den was a tense one, but they made it without any further confrontation, at least until they reached the club.

Chora's Den was a gentleman's club, and as the doors opened the smell of strong liquor and cheap cologne clogged the senses. Half naked asari and humans danced on platforms and tables, and on the laps of customers.

Two more krogans were arguing towards the back of the club. Krogans were physically were intimidating. They weren't much taller than an average human, usually around seven feet, but were often three times as wide. Pure muscle, thick hides, and a reputation of wars and destruction. Their heads were attached to their torso without much of anything you could call a neck or shoulders, and their faces resembled a toad with wide mouths. And they had massive humps on their backs, similar to a camel, that held stored nutrients which meant they could last for weeks without supplies.

"Back off, Wrex. Fist told us to take you down if you showed up." One krogan said.

"What are you waiting for? I'm standing right here." Wrex said in a slow and low voice, his large red eyes reflecting in the dim light. "This is Fist's only chance. If he's smart he'll take it."

"He's not coming out, Wrex, end of story."

Wrex leaned forward, and Shepard and her team moved closer to step in of a brawl started. "This story is just beginning." Wrex then turned around, facing the Alliance team. "Out of my way, humans, I have no quarrel with you."

"What the hell was that about?" Kaidan asked.

"Who knows, let's just try not to get in the middle," Ashley said with a low voice.

Shepard had a waitress point out Harkin, and went to speak to him. Harkin had been drinking, but wasn't wasted.

"Hey there, sweetheart, looking for some fun? I have to say that soldier get-up looks real good on that bod of yours. Why don't you sit your sweet little ass down beside old Harkin and have a drink and see where this goes?"

Alenko's ears turned red hearing Harkin address Shepard that way.

"Yeah, maybe later," Shepard said lightly.

"Suit yourself, Princess. If more marines looked like you I might have joined the Alliance instead of C-Sec."

Shepard smiled sweetly, which made Alenko even angrier. How could Harkin, this lowly drunk C-Sec reject, make her smile like that? Shepard put her boot up on the chair between Harkin's legs and leaned forward suggestively, before letting her boot slide up the chair and threaten to crush his manhood, "Call me Princess again and you'll be singing soprano. Now tell me where Garrus is."

Alenko's faith was restored and he looked smugly as Harkin tried to move without getting hurt.

"Alright, alright! Relax, Garrus, you say? You must be Anderson's crew, trying to take Saren down? Garrus was the officer in charge of that investigation, and I knew when I heard about it Anderson was involved."

"How?" Shepard demanded to know, her boot sliding just a bit harder against Harkin.

"The Captain used to be a Spectre, didn't know that, did you? First human ever given the honor and he blew it. Screwed up his mission so badly they kicked him out, of course he says Saren set him up."

Shepard bared her teeth, "Why would I believe a drunk like you?"

"Fine, ask Anderson, he's too stupid and proud to lie right to your face."

"You are in a real bad position to keep talking like that," Shepard threatened. She may be upset at her captain for hiding information, more hurt than angry anymore, but he was still her captain. "Tell me where the hell Garrus is."

"Garrus was sniffing around Dr. Michel's office. She runs a med clinic on the other side of the wards. Last I heard he was going back there."

Shepard removed her boot, "Now was that so hard? We'll leave you to your drinking."

What Harkin had said played back in Shepard's mind, and the others. "Do you think what he said was true?" Kaidan asked.

"Harkin was probably just trying to rile us up." Ashley said, not sounding convinced.

"Well he did a good job," Shepard muttered. "I don't want anyone mentioning what Harkin said to Captain Anderson. Even if there is a piece of truth to it, it's not our business."

"Aye, aye, ma'am," Kaidan and Ashley said in unison, and following their Commander as she left Chora's Den and began heading to the other side of the wards.

Ashley smirked a bit, following Kaidan's eyes to Commander Shepard's backside. The Commander was a good looking woman, Ashley was secure enough to admit that. Her red hair stood out, short yet cute and feminine at the same time. With those killer green eyes and body she would have made a great model on Earth.

Alenko pulled his eyes away from the inappropriate target they had locked on and took a few quick steps to walk next to Shepard instead of behind her, to help avoid the temptation. So he was attracted to Commander Shepard, who could blame him? He was having a hard time putting his finger on it, just what about her caught his interest. She was easy on the eye, but beautiful women were a dime a dozen. Maybe it was just their short time on Eden Prime, that battlefield bond that developed between soldiers who were faced with deadly situations. That wasn't it, either. He acknowledged that Ashley was a beautiful woman, too, however he wasn't interested in her.

Commander Shepard tried to keep her mind on reaching the med clinic. She was a bit on edge: from the Council hearing, Captain Anderson's confession and the feel of betrayal she felt from it, and the assassins coming after her. Near death experiences and her had a long history, but being shot at wasn't what bothered her the most. She was thinking about the vision of the beacon. Every time she thought about it she got a paranoid sense of danger, more than she was used to. Something epic. It scared her.

They reached the Med Clinic and she put the vision out of her mind. Before the door to the clinic was fully opened trouble was upon them. The first thing they saw was a turian creeping behind a low wall, invisible to the man and the woman arguing in the clinic area.

"I didn't tell anyone, I swear!" The woman cried.

The man pulled out a gun, "That was smart, Doc, now if Garrus comes around you stay smart! Keep you're mouth shut or we'll…"

The door finished opening, and Shepard and her crew were exposed to the thug harassing the woman. He grabbed her around the neck, pressing his front to her back and using her as a human shield as he raised his gun at the soldiers. "Who are you?"

Shepard's pistol was already out and aimed, but useless. She wouldn't take the shot, not with the civilian right in the line of fire. "Let her go," Shepard ordered, while watching out of the corner of her eye the turian quietly taking out his weapon. Before the thug could answer the turian left his cover and fired one shot, hitting the thug right in the head. The doctor screamed and jumped away as the man fell.

Shepard let out an angry breath and jumped over the low wall to help the doctor to her feet. "Perfect timing, Shepard, gave me a clear shot at that bastard." The turian said, and taking the time to look at him Shepard realized it was Garrus.

"Nice shot," Ashley said, glancing at the dead body.

"Sometimes you get lucky. Dr. Michel, are you hurt?" Garrus asked, looking at her with kind eyes.

"No, I'm okay, thanks to you, all of you," Michel said, though her hands trembled greatly.

"Who was that, and what was he here for?" Shepard asked. "We can help you, protect you."

"He worked for Fist. He wanted to shut me up, keep me from talking about the Quarian." Dr. Michel said, making her way to sit in a chair.

"Quarian?" Shepard was visibly disappointed. She had been hoping to find Garrus and find information on Saren, not a quarian.

"Don't look too down, Commander. I think this may have something to do with Saren. Dr. Michel, tell us what happened." Garrus said, kneeling beside the doctor so he could see her eyes.

"The other day a quarian came by my office. She'd been shot, but wouldn't tell me who did it. I could tell she was scared. Probably on the run." Dr. Michel looked away from Garrus and to Commander Shepard, a more friendly face, a human face. "She asked me about the Shadow Broker. She wanted to trade information for a safe place to hide."

"What's a Shadow Broker?" Ashley asked.

"Someone who buys and sells information. If you need to know something, he can find it for a price." Garrus explained, then nodded to Michel to go on.

"I put her in contact with Fist. He's an agent for the Shadow Broker."

"Not anymore. Now he works for Saren, and the Shadow Broker isn't too happy about it." Garrus muttered. "That quarian must have something that Saren wants. Something worth crossing the Shadow Broker to get. Did the quarian mention anything about Saren or the geth?" Garrus asked hopefully.

"She did!" Michel said. "She said the information she was going to trade had something to do with the geth."

"She must be able to link Saren to the geth." Garrus said, slowly standing up and facing Commander Shepard.

"Looks like we are going to pay Fist a visit, and find the quarian." Shepard said.

"This is your show, Shepard, but I want to bring Saren down as much as you do," Garrus said. "I'm coming with you."

"You're a turian, why do you want to bring one of your own down?" Ashley asked.

"I couldn't find the proof I needed for my investigation but I knew what was going on. Saren is a trader to the Council, and a disgrace to my people."

"We'll take all the help we can get. If Fist is working for Saren it may explain why our last visit to his club had assassins waiting for us," Shepard said, giving Ashley a glance to keep her quiet.

"That krogan, Wrex, in Chora's Den was looking for fist," Alenko said.

Garrus made a noise, "Yeah, rumor has it he was hired by the Shadow Broker to take out Fist. Bounty hunter."

"I had a feeling he was a merc," Kaidan muttered, "We should move fast, make sure he doesn't get to Fist."

"Fist is already expecting an attack on his life, we need to be careful. I wasn't expecting to be shot at today, wish I had my combat armor." Shepard said. "Come on."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 – The Wards Pt 2**

Chora's Den was emptier than before, just a small staff left and of course Fist's krogan bodyguards. They took one look at Garrus, and pulled their weapons out.

The staff ducked behind the bar.

After defending themselves against the krogans they made their way to the back to Fist's office, he was cornered. He held a pistol out at them, but dropped it after a few moments and surrendered. "Please! Don't shoot!"

Shepard kept her gun trained on him, "Tell me where the quarian is and I won't have to shoot you in the kneecaps," she growled. Kaidan swallowed hard, but kept his weapon trained on Fist. She wouldn't shoot a man who surrendered…would she?

"She's not here!" he said quickly, "I don't know where she is! That's the truth!"

"He's lying," Williams said.

"Guess we'll just have to put a round in his leg, see if he talks then…" Shepard threatened, aiming her pistol.

"Wait, no! I don't know where she is…but I know where you can find her," he said. "The quarian isn't here, said she'd only deal with the Shadow Broker herself."

"The Shadow Broker never meets face to face," Garrus said.

"I don't like being lied to, Fist," Shepard said in a low voice, and fired off one round of her pistol. The bullet hit the wall inches from his head. "That was your last warning."

He was breathing hard, sweat pouring down his face, "Nobody meets the Shadow Broker. Not even I know his true identity. But she didn't know that. I told her I'd set a meeting up. When she shows up it will be Saren's men waiting for her."

"Where is the meeting?" Shepard asked.

"Here in the Ward. Back alley by the markets," Fist said.

"When?" Shepard asked.

Fist clenched his jaw, "Now."

"Fuck," she said. "What do you think I should do with you?"

"Shadow Broker wants me dead…I have to disappear," Fist muttered.

"If I find you again, Fist…" Shepard warned, leaving the threat open for his imagination. "Garrus, fastest way?"

"Come on," he said, taking lead.

_--The Quarian--_

Tali'Zorah nar Rayya had been through a rough couple of days, but she was anxiously hopeful that after this meeting with the Shadow Broker things would start to look up. She wasn't helpless, as many people assumed. Looking at her small frame and her body suit could appear fragile, far from it. But what she had learned the past few days made her realize that there were some things she just couldn't handle on her own.

She looked up as a turian and two salarians walked toward her, "Where is Fist?" she asked anxiously. "Where is the Shadow Broker?"

"They'll be here," the turian promised, getting close to her and touching the top of her head and stroking it. "Where's the evidence?"

She pushed him away and took a few quick steps back, something was wrong. "No way. Deal's off."

The two salarians pulled out their guns, and in a quick movement she threw an exploding disk at them, the next she pulled a pistol out and continued to defend herself.

The turian had dropped down and popped out of cover with a rifle pointed at her. Before she could react several shots were fired from above and the turian crumpled.

She looked up, seeing three humans and a turian holstering their weapons. One of them walked forward with open hands to show she meant no harm, "Are you alright?"

"I knew I couldn't trust Fist. He set me up!" she said, her pistol still aimed at woman, her uniform marking her as an Alliance soldier. "Who are you?"

"I'm Commander Shepard of the Alliance. That is Garrus, he's with C-sec. We're working together to take Saren down. We heard that you may have evidence to do that…we need your help."

Tali holstered her pistol, "I owe you, I suppose…for helping me," Tali said. However she wasn't about to give up her evidence for nothing, especially when it had just proven to threaten her life. "But not here. I want to go someplace safe."

"The Ambassador's office?" Kaidan suggested. "It's safe there, and he'll want to see this anyways."

"Good thinking," Shepard nodded. "We'll get you there safely. Williams and Alenko, cover her sides. Garrus front…I…I'm sorry, Garrus…" She started, having fallen into giving orders so easily she had forgotten that he was not under her command.

"No, I don't mind taking orders," he said, already leading the group. "I normally don't conduct Citadel tours but I suppose I can make an exception."

"I'm Tali, by the way," the quarian said, facing Shepard. "Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."

"Nice to meet you, Tali," Shepard said.

They made it back to the embassies quickly. Udina got the message that Shepard had returned and he put his back to the door. Once it opened he started speaking angrily, "You're not making my life easy, Shepard. Firefights in the wards? An assault on Chora's Den? What were you…?!" he turned around and paused, surprised to see two aliens in his office. The turian C-sec official, not so much, but the quarian really caught him off guard. "Who's this? A quarian? What are you up to, Shepard?"

"Tali," Shepard corrected him, "may have what we need to convince the Council that Saren is a traitor. I would have told you that up front if you hadn't jumped down my throat right off the bat."

Udina gathered himself, "I apologize. This whole thing with Saren has got me on edge. Perhaps we should start at the beginning, miss. We don't see many quarians here, why did you leave the flotilla?"

"I was on my pilgrimage," she said, sounding proud. "My rite of passage into adulthood."

"Tali, can you tell us about the evidence?" Shepard asked, trying to hide the anxiousness in her voice.

"During my travels I began hearing reports of geth. Since they drove my people into exile, the geth have never ventured past the Perseus Veil. I was curious. I tracked a patrol of geth to an uncharted world. I waited for one to become separated from its unit. Then I disabled it and removed its memory core."

"And?" Shepard urged her.

"Most of the core was wiped clean, but I salvaged something from its audio banks," she said. She opened her omni-tool and began playing a clip.

"Eden Prime was a major victory! The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the conduit," Saren's voice said.

"This will prove it," Anderson said. "We can match his voice to that recording."

"Wait…there is more," Tali said, and let the message continue.

"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers," an asari voice said.

"I don't recognize the other voice, but it proves Saren isn't working alone," Udina said.

Shepard put a hand to her forehead, a deep frown on her face, "That sounds familiar," she muttered. "But…I don't know. What the hell are Reapers?"

"According to the geth's memory core, the Reapers were a hyper-advanced machine race that existed fifty-thousand years ago," Tali said. "They believe the Reapers hunted the Protheans to total extinction, and then they vanished."

Shepard let her hand fall from her forehead, a chill creeping from her insides and throughout her body as the visions from the beacon came to the front of her mind against her will. They had been there the whole time, constantly playing at the back of her mind, ignored as she was focused…but they broker through. In the distance she heard Udina saying that the thought was far-fetched.

It hit her, hard enough to make her knees go weak. Everyone was focused on Tali that they didn't notice her move to lean against Udina's desk for support, didn't notice the distant look in her eye. "I understand it now," Shepard breathed, and attention turned to her. She brought her mind back to the office, pushing the visions back in her mind so she could focus on what was in front of her. "The beacon…the vision from the beacon. It was the Protheans being destroyed by the Reapers."

"The geth revere the Reapers as gods, the pinnacle of non-organic life. They believe Saren knows how to bring them back," Tali said, sounding concerned.

"The Council is going to love this," Udina muttered, shaking his head with disbelief. There had been so many candidates available to be evaluated as a Spectre…what the hell made Anderson and Hackett think _she_ was the right one?

Shepard scoffed, "This is a lot to swallow. I have it burned into my head and I don't even understand it…they won't believe me."

"No matter what they think about the rest of it, we still need to go after Saren. This proves Saren is a traitor," Anderson said.

"We'll present this to the Council immediately," Udina said. "Anderson and I will go and arrange it, you and…your team, can stay here where it is safe."

Shepard fell into a chair, brushing off a scuff mark on the knee of her pants casually, "I'm not stepping back into those wards without armor."

Alenko laughed, and she smiled slowly.

"Shepard, that…vision…" Garrus asked, unsure if it was appropriate to talk about.

Her smile faded, "I interacted with the Prothean Beacon on Eden Prime, before it self destructed."

"Yes…I heard that already," he said, walking closer to her, "I'm curious, though…just what did you see?"

"It hasn't gotten much clearer," she said quietly. "At first I could tell it was organics being killed by machines. But with Tali's help…it makes sense that it was the Prothean's being attacked by Reapers. If they exist. Whenever I think about it…just a knot in my stomach, like something bad is about to happen. Like we're all in danger."

Udina's secretary notified them their meeting with the Council was accepted and that it started soon.

"May I come with, Commander?" Tali asked. "I would like to know that the evidence I gave you is put to good use."

"Sure," Shepard said. "Garrus…this was still your case, if you want to come, too."

"Thank you, Shepard," he said in a pleasant tone. "I appreciate that. I was going to come without an invitation, but always nice to know I'm welcome."

Shepard smiled, "I like your attitude, Garrus."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 – Council again**

The strange group reached the Citadel Tower, Shepard taking her place next to Anderson and Udina as the others stood back to watch. They were quiet while Udina presented the evidence, Shepard looking high above them as a small group of people, civilians and other ambassadors or diplomats, watching the hearing were casually leaning against the high balcony. There were a few moments while they checked the audio, to ensure it wasn't fake.

"This evidence is irrefutable," the turian councilor said angrily. "Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status and all efforts will be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes." He assured them.

"I recognize the other voice, the one speaking to Saren," the asari said, her face looking concerned. "It's Matriarch Benezia."

"Who is she?" Shepard asked.

"Matriarch's are powerful asari who have entered the final stage of their lives. Revered for their wisdom and experience they serve as guides and mentors to my people," she explained. "She is a powerful biotic, and has many followers. She would make a formidable ally for Saren."

"I am more interested in the Reapers," the salarian said. "What do you know of them?"

"Only what was extracted from the geth's memory core," Anderson said. "They were an ancient race of machines that wiped out the Protheans. Then they vanished. The geth believe the Reapers are gods, and Saren is the prophet for their return. It sounds like the Conduit is the key to bringing them back. Saren is searching for it, and that is why he attacked Eden Prime. Some information was locked in that Beacon, and he got it."

"Do we even know what this Conduit is?" the salarian asked.

"Saren thinks it can bring back the Reapers, that is bad enough," Shepard said.

"Listen to what you are saying," the turian snapped. "Saren wants to bring back machines that wiped out all life in the galaxy? Impossible. It has to be. Where did the Reapers go? Why did they vanish? How come we've found no trace of their existence? If they were real, we would have found something!"

"Fifty-thousand years," Shepard said. "How do we know we haven't stumbled across something and just misinterpreted it? I tried to warn you about Saren, but you wouldn't listen. Don't make the same mistake again."

"This is different," the asari said politely. "You proved Saren betrayed the Council. We all agree he is using the geth to search for the Conduit, but we really don't know why."

"The Reapers are obviously just a myth, Commander. A convenient lie to cover Saren's true purpose. A legend he is using to bend the geth to his will," the salarian said.

Shepard shook her head, wishing she could show everyone in that room what was playing in her mind. "The Reapers are the reason the Protheans are extinct. If Saren finds the Conduit we may face the same fate. He has to be stopped…"

"Saren is a rogue agent on the run for his life," the turian said. "He no longer has the rights or resources of a Spectre."

"That isn't good enough," Udina shouted. "You know he is hiding somewhere in the Traverse. Send your fleet in after him!"

"A fleet cannot track down one man," the salarian said.

Udina shook his head, "A Citadel fleet could secure the entire region. Keep the geth from attacking anymore of our colonies."

"Or it could trigger a war with the Terminus systems," the turian countered. "We won't be dragged into a galactic confrontation over a few dozen human colonies!"

Shepard let out a breath, "Every time humanity asks for help you ignore us."

"Shepard is right!" Udina growled. "I'm sick of this Council and its anti-human bull!"

"Ambassador, there is another solution," the asari said, looking at her fellow councilors. "A way to stop Saren that doesn't not require fleets or armies."

"No! It's too soon. Humanity is not ready for the responsibilities that come with joining the Spectres," the turian argued.

Shepard stepped forward, her stomach twisting as she understood what the asari meant. "You won't have to send a fleet into the traverse. And the ambassador gets his human Spectre. Everybody is happy."

The councilors looked at one another, and began punching in something on the terminals in front of them. Udina looked at Shepard, but she kept her eyes forward.

"It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel," the asari said, and hushed whispers grew as the crowd watching from the balconies gathered more closely.

"Spectres are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle, those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file," the salarian said.

"Spectres are an ideal, a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instrumentals of our will," the asari said.

"Spectres bear a great burden. They are the protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold," the turian said.

The three of them bowed their heads to her, and it was over before Shepard realized they had just performed a ceremonial speech to welcome her into the Spectres.

"You are the first human Spectre, Commander. This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire race," the asari said.

"I'm honored, Councilors," she said.

"We're sending you into the Traverse after Saren. He is a fugitive from justice so you authorized to use any means necessary to apprehend or eliminate him. This meeting is adjourned," the asari said.

Shepard let out a breath and turned to Udina and Anderson. Anderson stepped up and shook her hand, "Congratulations, Commander."

"We've got a lot of work to do, Shepard," Udina muttered. "You're going to need a ship, a crew, supplies. Anderson, come with me, I'll need your help to set this up."

Shepard followed them slowly, and stopped by her crew. "Not even a thank you from the ambassador," Williams said.

"What do you expect from a politician?" Shepard joked, but her smile didn't touch her eyes. "Williams, Alenko…it was good having you on my team."

"You heard the Cap, you are going to need a crew," Alenko said.

Williams grinned, "Hell yeah, Shepard, keep us on!"

Shepard looked at both of them, "If Anderson loans me any Alliance soldiers, it better bet you two. Thanks."

"Commander?" Tali spoke up shyly, and Shepard looked at her. "I want to join you."

Shepard looked confused, "Um…Tali, this is a dangerous mission. I appreciate that you want to help but…"

"You saw what I could do in the ally," Tali countered quickly. "And since Saren has rallied the geth you are going to want someone who knows about the geth. I promise you there is no one on this station who knows more about the geth than I do. I can hold my own, I won't take up much space…I want to help."

"What about your pilgrimage, Tali?"

"The Pilgrimage is all about willing to give yourself to the greater good. What you are doing, stopping Saren from bringing the Reapers back, is the greater good."

Shepard thought it over in her mind, she could find half a dozen arguments to keep Tali from coming, but having a technical expert, and an expert on the geth on top of it. "Okay."

Tali jumped a little in excitement, "Thank you, Commander! I promise I will not make you regret it."

"Calm down," Shepard said softly. "If things get rough I'm going to need you to follow my orders, understood? The only way I'm going to regret this is if I end up getting a civilian killed."

"Yes, ma'am," Tali said more seriously.

"Now…wait a second, you are taking a quarian kid on her 'rite to adulthood' along for the ride?" Garrus stepped forward. "Damn, Shepard, if you were that desperate why didn't you say so?"

Shepard gave him a hard look, "I'm about chase after a rogue Spectre with an army of geth at his feet, what do you recommend?"

"How would you like a military trained C-sec investigator helping you out?"

"You have a job here, Garrus," she said.

"I could remind you that if it wasn't for me you probably wouldn't have gotten the evidence you needed," he pressed. "I want to see Saren go down, bad. You know I can shoot straight, and I can follow orders under fire. You want me to hand in a resume, I can. But since Tali didn't have to I might say you were being xenophobic."

Shepard pointed at him and sneered, but her hand fell and she laughed, "Alright, Garrus."

"Looks like we have a solid ground team, Commander," Alenko said. "Wasn't as hard as I thought it would be."

"Five against five million," Williams said cheerily. "Watch out, galaxy."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 – Leaving the Citadel**

They took their time going back to the embassy. Udina's office was empty so they waited quietly. Udina and Anderson walked in after an hour, and Shepard stood up.

"I've got big news for you, Shepard. Captain Anderson is stepping down as commanding officer of the Normandy. The ship is yours now," Udina said.

"She's quick and quiet, and you know the crew. Perfect ship for a Spectre. Treat her well, Commander," Anderson said softly.

"No…this isn't right. The Normandy is your commander, Captain," Shepard argued.

"You needed your own ship. A Spectre can't answer to anyone but the Council. And…it's time for me to step down," he said.

She nodded slowly, "Thanks, Cap."

"Now, Saren is gone. Don't even try to find him. We know what he is looking for. The Conduit. He's got his geth out looking for it. Look for geth sightings, geth patrols…well, you know how to get the job done, Shepard," Anderson smiled.

"There is one lead," Udina said slowly. "Benezia's daughter, Dr. Liara T'Soni, is currently exploring an archeological dig on an uncharted world in the Artemis Tau cluster. We don't know if she is involved or not."

"I'll take what I can get," she said.

"You are a Spectre now. You don't answer to us," Anderson said. "However…Alenko and Williams…"

"Sir, we would like to stay on this mission," Alenko interrupted.

Anderson nodded, "You got it."

"Remember, Shepard, your actions still reflect on humanity as a whole. You make a mess and I am the one who gets stuck cleaning it up."

Shepard smiled, "I'll take care of Saren. You take care of the political fallout."

"Not the answer I was hoping for," Udina muttered. "I have a meeting to get to, you are clear to leave anytime."

Shepard walked out to the balcony with Anderson, "You okay with this, Cap?"

"This isn't how I expected my career to come to an end. Pushing papers was never my thing," he said quietly. "Shepard, I've been keeping something from you. I know you know…and I appreciate that you didn't press me for it. But I think you should know."

"If you think it's important," she said.

"Twenty years ago I was selected to be evaluated for the Spectres, by Saren. The mission went bad, real bad. A lot of civilians died, his fault. When we got back to the Citadel he managed to get me to take the blame, but most of it was covered up. He's ruthless, he'll kill thousands and you without thinking twice. He's cunning, he won't come at you face-to-face if he can avoid it. He'll play with you, like a cat with a mouse. You are damn smart, Shepard…but don't you dare let your guard down."

"Thanks, Cap…for everything," she said, shaking his hand.

Shepard went to her team, "I want us out of here before Udina is done with his meeting. Anyone have business left on the Citadel?"

"I'll grab my things from my locker at C-sec on our way to the docking bay," Garrus said.

"I have everything I need," Tali said.

"What are we waiting for? Let's kick some turian butt," Williams said, "Oh…sorry, Garrus."

"No problem, Williams," he said calmly.

They waited for Garrus to get what he needed in C-sec by the elevator that led to the docking bay.

A shadow fell over them and a deep rumbling voice spoke, "Are you Shepard?"

Shepard turned slowly, seeing the large krogan standing too close for comfort. "Who's asking?"

"Heard you got rid of Fist," he said. "That was my job." Shepard kept her feet planted as he leaned over her, "I got paid in advance for that job from the Shadow Broker."

"What's the problem, then?" she asked.

"I don't get paid for jobs I don't finish. I've transferred the funds to you," he said, stepping back. He looked over her, and her companions, "Word is that you are hunting Saren and an army of geth."

"And an asari Matriarch," Tali added.

"Maybe you could use some help?"

Shepard frowned, "I'm sorry…did you just offer me your services?"

"Yes."

"Even if I had the funds to hire a merc, I wouldn't," Shepard said.

"I don't want your money," he growled at her. "I go where the fighting is. And it sounds like you are about to see plenty. I want in."

"Why?"

"I just told you," he said in his low growl. "I'm a good ally to have, Shepard."

"And I'm supposed to trust someone who kills for money?"

"Alliance cuts you a paycheck every week," he said. "What makes us different?"

"Commander…you can't be seriously thinking…" Williams said in a quiet voice.

Garrus walked up slowly, hand at his pistol, "Every thing okay, Shepard?"

"Wrex, right?" Shepard asked the krogan. He nodded. "I'm not in a strong position to refuse help from anyone with a bit of experience, but that doesn't mean I won't think twice about dropping you on the closest planet if I get a feeling you can't play by my rules."

He grunted, "I can follow orders as well as any of these runts."

Shepard called the elevator down, "Okay, then."

_--On the Normandy--_

Shepard was at the CIC while the newest additions to the crew settled in. A few last things were being done before they left the Citadel and she was watching incoming Alliance and Council reports while Navigator Pressley was looking up information on the Artemis Tau cluster.

"Commander, may I speak freely?" Pressley asked.

"Go for it," she said, glancing at him briefly before going back to watching reports.

"Do you think it's safe for those aliens to be onboard? Giving them full access to the ship? The Normandy is still a prototype," he said.

She sighed and closed the monitor, walking down the few steps from her post so she could stand next to him. Pressley was in the generation that saw the First Contact War, when turians found humans activating Relays. Activating Relays was against Council law, and the turians fired on them. The war only lasted a few months, but a lot of his generation still mistrusted not only turians, but all alien races. Shepard was just a kid during the war, she didn't remember it. Her generation grew up learning about the races. While some still disliked the other races, she just accepted that they were there. "Saren isn't just a threat to humanity. The Normandy wasn't built by humans alone. And seeing as this ship, even though technically Alliance, is now under a Council Spectre's command, it seems fitting to allow other races onboard. With Tali's insight to the geth, Garrus and Wrex's combat experience, we are that much closer to victory. I understand if you are uncomfortable with it and I don't hold it against you. If it bothers you that much, we can drop you off Arcturus."

"That wasn't what I meant…I'm not abandoning my post," he said firmly. "I just…I just needed some reassurance, Commander. Thank you."

"Glad to hear it. Call me if anything interesting comes through."

She made her way to the cockpit, "Hey, Joker. Glad you stuck around."

"Yeah. I heard what happened to Captain Anderson, that guy survives a hundred battles and gets taken down by backroom politics...you need all the help you can get. Things go bad on this mission and you are next on the chopping block."

"I really needed that, thanks," she said sarcastically.

"Everyone on this ship is behind you. Hundred percent," he assured her. "Want me to open the intercom for you?"

She laughed, "You want me to make some sort of motivational speech?"

He looked at her and frowned, "Well…come on, seems fitting. Dangerous mission and all that."

"If you come up with one, Joker, you go right ahead," she said, patting his shoulder. "So far today I was unconscious for fifteen hours, ran my ass around the Citadel, survived an assassination attempt, thwarted a quarian's assassination, and became the first human Spectre in the galaxy. I want to get something to eat."

"Fine…get it, long day. See you around, Commander," he muttered.

"Once we're set I want us in the air, head to Artemus Tau," she said, patting his shoulder before she left.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 – The Team**

They had been out for a few days and Shepard had just left the CIC to get something to eat. She was happily surprised to see Tali and Garrus sitting down, and disappointed that the few human crew in the mess were sitting the opposite side of the table from them, as far away as possible. She grabbed a plate and sat next to Garrus, across from Tali, "Everything okay for you guys?"

Tali looked down, but Garrus started laughing. "Commander, we've been talking and, well, after thinking about it I feel foolish for not mentioning it before we left the Citadel. You don't have a very large stock of provisions suitable for turians or quarians."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Your Mess Sergeant located a small amount, enough to last the two of us a few weeks. He said that Nihlus had ordered them on. We can't eat the same food the rest of your crew can. Our DNA is completely different."

"How different?" she asked, punching a straw into a milk container.

"It would kill us," Tali said flatly.

"Oh…I…I'm sorry, I had no idea," she said. Garrus watched as her fleshy lips closed around the clear plastic tube and the white liquid was sucked up. He tilted his head slightly, fascinated by how she drank. She swallowed and set the container down, "Just let me know what we need. I'm glad you told me this, I had no idea. What about Wrex?"

"Krogan's are usually safe eating your kind of food. Usually," Garrus said, watching as she brought a fork to her mouth, her jaw moving up and down, side to side, as she chewed.

Shepard swallowed, "Garrus, I take it you never sat down to eat with the human employees of C-sec, did you?"

He chuckled again, "No. I'm sorry. Just a curiosity. I apologize if it was rude."

She laughed, "Curiosity is alright. I'm curious about you, too. Looks like everything would leak out the sides when you ate."

Tali giggled at that. Shepard wished that turians had more obvious signs to show when they were smiling or frowning. She didn't know until he began speaking in an amused tone that he wasn't upset with the joke, "We manage. We don't…chew."

After dinner Shepard finished her rounds, checked back at the CIC. She was used to long patrols that had weeks between any action. She had a routine to keep herself and her crew prepared for the first sign of anything. Shepard was checking her equipment when someone walked up behind her. "Still no sign of the dig site, Commander," Alenko said.

"Any geth sightings?"

"No."

"Waiting is always the worst part," she muttered.

"Joker is doing a good job," he said casually. Casual chats were acceptable…depending on the Commander. He was still trying to read her, as a Commander.

"I'm glad Joker stuck around, I really am. He's a good pilot."

"The best," Alenko agreed.

"Everything okay with you, Alenko?" she asked, her face a calm mask, her eyes focused on him.

"Yeah. Little anxious to see what we find next," he admitted.

There was a snap as she finished her work and she pushed her armor away so she could stand up, "We've been through quite a bit, and when we find the doctor we don't know what we'll have to deal with. Make sure you are ready, Alenko."

"Aye, aye, ma'am," he said, and slowly walked away.

Shepard rubbed her right shoulder, an old injury making it ache, as she went down to the engineering deck. Wrex was staying out of the rest of the crew's way by making a section of it his cabin. She wasn't going to argue with him, they didn't need that space and it wasn't like he could fit into one of the human sleep pods.

He was examining a shotgun, his large fingers working with it carefully. "Wrex," Shepard said, wanting him to know of her presence.

"Shepard," he acknowledged back. "What can I do for you?"

She sat what she considered a safe distance from the krogan, although any closed space felt tight with the large krogan. "So what is your story, Wrex?" she asked, wondering if he might tell her more since they were alone and he'd had a few days to settle in.

"There's no story," he rumbled. "Go ask the quarian if you want stories."

"Don't be an ass. You krogan live for centuries, don't tell me you haven't had a few adventures in that time."

"Well, there was this one time the turian's almost wiped out our entire race. That was fun," he said, putting the shotgun on his back and looking at her. Centuries ago, long before humans were in space, the turians and the krogan's were at war. The turians won by unleashing a genetic plague that sterilized many of the krogan. They were now on the verge of becoming extinct.

With the shotgun put away she relaxed a bit more. "I know about that," she said. "You know humanity had a war with the turians, too."

"It's not the same," Wrex growled. "Were your people infected with a genetic mutation? An infection that makes only a few in a thousand children survive birth? That is destroying your entire species? I don't expect you to understand, but don't try and compare humanity to the krogan."

"I'm sorry…I was just trying to make conversation, I didn't mean to upset you."

"Your ignorance doesn't upset me, Shepard." He said in a low tone, "As for the krogan, I gave up on them long ago. The genophage infected us, but that isn't what's killing us."

"What is?" she asked softly.

"We're too spread out. None of us are interested in staying in our own system," he explained, and studied her face. He had worked with humans over the past few decades occasionally, they were often eager and always squishy. He didn't think much about them, and he had already made it clear to Shepard he only wanted to join her team so he could fight something. He had no problems with humans in particular, but he wondered why this human was interested in talking so much.

"Lots of species have left their homes and prospered," she said. "I guess I'm not following you."

"Yes, but they go to colonize new worlds. My people are not settlers. We're warriors. We want to fight. So we leave. Hire ourselves out. And most of us never go back."

Shepard thought about it, trying to understand some of the culture of the krogans. Krogans were known throughout the galaxy as ferocious warriors, but little was known of them as individuals. Was that all they were, just warriors?

"The genophage, that's what the turians infected you with?"

"Yeah. Salarians made it, though," he rumbled. "All I know is it makes breeding nearly impossible. Thousands die in stillbirth and most never get that far. Every krogan is infected. Every one. And no ones rushing to find a cure."

"This happened centuries ago…nothing has happened to improve the situation?" she asked.

"When is the last time you saw a krogan scientist? You ask a krogan if he would rather search for a cure to the genophage or fight for credits…he'll choose fighting for credits every time."

"That's…huh," she frowned. "Can't say I understand…but thanks for the talk, Wrex."

"Shepard," he nodded.

She felt a bit disappointed, feeling that there had to be more to the krogans, and more to Wrex, than just fighting. Hell, eleven years in the military and even she had hobbies. Though tweaking armor shields and working on a prototype hard suit weren't normal hobbies.

"Uh, Commander, a minute?" Garrus called.

"Yeah, what's up?" she asked, walking over to him. He, like Wrex and Tali, had taken up room in the engineering deck away from the standard crew quarters. Alienating themselves. They gave each other a lot of space.

"I just felt like I didn't get to thank you properly for letting me come along. I know that working with a Spectre is going to be better than life in C-sec," he said.

"Why do you say that?" she asked.

"Spectres make their own rules. You're free to handle things your way. At C-sec you're buried by rules. The damn bureaucrats are always on your back."

She took in a tense breath, "You know, Garrus, for the most part those rules are there for a reason."

"Maybe. But sometimes it feels like the rules are only there to stop me from doing my work. If I'm trying to take down a suspect it shouldn't matter how I do it, as long as I do it. But C-sec wants it done their way. Protocol and procedure come first. C-sec's handling of Saren was typical. I just couldn't take it anymore."

"I hope you made the right choice, Garrus," she said quietly. "I hope you don't regret it later."

"This gives me a chance to get off the Citadel, see how things are done outside of C-sec. Either way, I plan to make the most of this. Get something done my way for a change."

"If getting the job done means endangering innocent people, then…no," she said. "We get the job done right, not fast. Got it?"

"I wasn't trying to say that. Of course, Commander."

"Good," she said.

"Commander!" someone called her name. She turned, seeing Engineer Adams walking up to her, "Do you have a minute?"

She met him halfway, "Yeah."

"You know that quarian? Tali? She's been spending all her time down here, asking me about our engines."

"Oh…Um, I'll ask her to leave you alone," Shepard said. Adams was in the same generation as Pressley. She wouldn't kick Tali off the ship because she was making Adams uncomfortable, but she did need her crew keeping their focus on the work, not the alien over their shoulder.

"What? No! She's amazing!" Adams said quickly. "I wish my guys were half as smart as she is. Give her a month on board and she'll know more about our engines than I do. She's got a reach knack for technology, that one. I can see why you wanted her to come along. "

"Oh…that's…" Shepard had to smile, "That's great, Adams. I'm glad to hear it. Keep up the excellent work."

_--Waiting Game--_

It had been a few more days of checking out the system they had been referred to. Shepard was hanging out in the cockpit, standing over Joker's shoulder. True to his nickname, Joker loved to make wisecracks. Although that wasn't how he had gotten the name. During his pilot training he was very serious, and one of his instructors had taken to calling him Joker because he never smiled. Looking through personnel files Shepard discovered that Joker actually had a rare disease, Vrolik's Syndrome or Brittle Bone Disease. He had trouble moving around without crutches and braces, and there currently was no cure. He never mentioned it, and she never asked him about it.

"Coffee," Alenko said, interrupting the silence.

"Thanks," Joker said, taking the cup from Alenko. "L-T, maybe you can convince the Commander to stop breathing down my neck."

Shepard leaned forward, "I am simply observing, Joker. If you want me to really breath down your neck, I can do so."

He chuckled, "Hey, actually, doesn't sound to bad when you say it like that."

Shepard straightened up, "Damn, I sort of walked into that, didn't I?"

Alenko laughed, the past week he'd observed Shepard as a fairly laid back Commander. Keen to join in on jokes, even poking fun at herself sometimes. She wanted to keep crew moral up, at the same time keeping everything running smoothly. "Coffee, ma'am?"

She glanced at him, he only had one cup in his hand that she assumed he brought up for himself, "No, I'm good."

"Something coming up on scans!" Pressley called, and Shepard ran down the corridor to the CIC. "Therum."

Finding something on an uncharted planet took a long time. The Mass Relays would get you from one cluster of stars to the next, but not every system had a Mass Relay. Artemus Tau wasn't colonized, and many of the planets had Prothean ruins that had, at one point or another, been examined. They had to find the one Dr. Liara T'Soni was one.

"Info?" Shepard asked.

"Therum, highly volcanic. Rough terrain. No plant or animal life. Dangerous terrain."

"Picking up a ship signature!" Joker called back to her. "It's Geth."

"Silent running," Shepard ordered. The Normandy's stealth system would disguise their heat and prevent it from coming up on enemy ship scans. "You're going to drop us in the Mako, Joker. I want you to keep an eye on that ship."

"Think they are here protecting or attacking?" Garrus asked as they prepared in the lower deck next to the Mako.

"I'm not sure what I'm hoping for," Shepard muttered. "Prothean dig site...may be something else here that Saren wants. Something that T'Soni may be helping him with." She looked around at her assembled team and brought up a holographic area map, "We're going to be dropped here. The dig site is approximately four clicks north. The area is…unstable. Rivers of lava, probably geth." She looked at Tali, "Tali, I'm afraid I have to ask you to stay up here. I'd like you to assist Joker in the cockpit and keep an eye on that geth ship. Help him anyway you can."

"Are you sure you don't want me fighting the geth? I thought that was why I was here," she said, sounding hurt.

"With the surface temperatures as hot as they are we aren't going to be doing a lot of field battle. Mostly it'll be handled with the Mako if we come up with resistance. Your suit…it can't handle these elements when we step outside the Mako. We don't have the time to modify it. I don't want you left out. I need you to do all you can from here, though."

She nodded, her shoulders hunched a bit like she may even be sulking, "Yes, Commander."

Joker entered the atmosphere and opened the bay. The Mako rolled down and the thrusters kicked in to slow their descent. The rover was an all terrain vehicle, with thick tires that could withstands the heat of Therum and climb, though slowly, up a steep mountain if it had to. Stations and some highly populated planets often had the ability of hover cars, however for those to work was a mix of technology on the planet itself, not just the car. To explore uninhabited planets rovers like the Mako were standard. There was a gun turret on the top that swiveled 360 degrees for defense, along with having its own shields. It was a marine assault vehicle. Alenko handled driving beast of a vehicle while Shepard handled weapon systems.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 - Therum**

When the geth arrived at the dig site Liara was quickly overcome. She was a decent biotic, maybe young but powerful compared to other species, but there was only so much she could do alone. She had examined these ruins for weeks, and used her knowledge of them to hide. While doing so she accidentally trapped herself in a stasis field behind a protective barrier curtain. While it prevented the geth and the krogan that came with the geth from getting to her, it also held her so she could not defend herself if they found a way around.

There were more gunshots, and she wondered if the geth hadn't turned on the krogan, or the other way around. One could hope. 

"Clear!" a woman called, human.

"That was too quick," a krogan complained.

"I don't like robots," the woman said and then added in a teasing tone, "I thought Krogan's were experts at war. I think I tagged at least three more than you."

"I'll give you that," the krogan rumbled. "Not bad, Shepard."

"No sign of an asari, Commander," a human male said.

"I wouldn't say that, Alenko," a turian said, coming into view. "Not sure if this is good, or bad."

Liara looked at the newcomers. Three humans, all Alliance, two female and one male. A turian, and a krogan. All were slowly making their way towards where she was trapped behind the Prothean barrier.

A female with bright red hair looked at her, "Dr. Liara T'Soni?"

"Oh thank the goddess!" Liara gasped. "I feared no one would come for me."

"I'm Commander Shepard of the Normandy, are you okay?" she asked.

Liara let out a happy breath, "I…I've been better. This thing I am in is a Prothean security device. I knew it would keep me safe from the geth…but when I activated it I must have done something wrong. I cannot move, so I need you to get me out, alright?"

"Right, how do I do that?"

"There is a control in here that should deactivate this thing. However…it's on this side. You'd need to find some way around. I don't know how. And there is a krogan among the geth that has been trying for the past few hours."

"What if we shoot at the barrier? Doesn't look much different than what we use for shields, they wear out eventually," Williams suggested.

"No, shields wear out because they are battery operated. This thing is powered by something a lot stronger than what we have in our armor," Shepard muttered. "It won't run out of power, any time you start to make a dent it'll get recharged."

"We have to go around," Garrus said. "This whole place isn't protected by that barrier."

Shepard followed his eyes to a laser, it was meant to be used to clear debris from the ruins while they were excavated and explored. She smiled, "Like a dog tunneling under a fence."

"A…what?" Garrus tilted his head.

Wrex chuckled, looking at the large laser, "Shepard?"

"Just let us get out of the way," Shepard said, ordering her team to back up behind the laser.

"Oh…uh…I'm not sure if you should…" Liara tried to call, but Wrex fired the laser underneath the field. Rock blasted away.

"Hold on!" Shepard ordered, "Looks like that may have gotten us through. Wrex, get your finger off that button while I am in your line of sight."

They walked through the hole, Wrex had to bend over to make it, and climbed up until they were behind Liara.

Liara was able to crane her neck slightly to see Shepard behind her, "Please, hit the control over there to release me."

Shepard punched the control, and an interface opened. She examined it quickly, and hit a few parts. Liara fell to her knees, free of the stasis field but the barrier was still there.

She turned around, swallowing hard as she realized the rest of Shepard's team had their weapons trained on her. She put her hands up, "I am unarmed."

"Biotics," Alenko said.

"I really hate getting hit with biotics," Shepard said. "Dr. T'Soni, I need to ask you about Benezia."

Liara put her nose in the air, "I haven't talked to her in years."

"Benezia is working with Saren and the geth," Williams said.

Liara looked at her, "She…she is? I can't imagine why."

"I'm not sure if I'm here to rescue you or arrest you, doctor. I just need to know whose side you are on," Shepard said seriously.

"What? I am on anybody's side! I may be Benezia's daughter but I am nothing like her." Liara was obviously distressed, her hands wringing together. "I do not understand this. Why would the geth come here? Is Benezia involved?"

"Saren is looking for the Conduit," Williams said. "Think fast, Ms. Prothean Expert."

"The Conduit?" Liara looked confused. "I don't know…"

The ground below them shook fiercely.

"Oh no. These ruins are not stable. The mining laser may have triggered a seismic event!" Liara said. "We must get out of here."

"We'll figure this out on the Normandy before the Geth decide to drop in more troops," Shepard said. "Joker, we're going to need a quick pick up. Lock in on the Mako and get ready to intercept."

They went back out the quickly made gap in the ground and up the long tunnel to the surface of the planet while the ruins continued shaking violently under and around them.

The light at the end of the tunnel shadowed, a massive figure blocking their exit.

"Surrender, or don't," the krogan said. "That would be more fun."

"In case you missed it, this place is falling apart," Shepard snapped.

"Exhilarating, isn't it?" the krogan said. "Thanks for getting rid of those energy fields for us. Now hand over the doctor."

"Whatever it is you want you are not getting it from me," Liara said confidently.

"Yeah, I think she'll stay with us. Thanks," Shepard said.

"Not an option. Saren wants her. And he always gets what he wants," the krogan said. "Kill them. Spare the asari if you can. If not, oh well."

"He is a battle master," Wrex warned Shepard. "He is mine."

"Have at it," Shepard said as geth began to flood the tunnel.

Kaidan and Liara's biotics crushed the Geth. Garrus', Ashley's and Wrex's bullets tore through anything that still stood.

The ground shook and rumbled as they ran down the ramp to the surface, getting into the Mako. Joker took control of the rover to coordinate a pick-up as the ground around the ruins crumbled down into a fiery grave.

"Damn this planet is hot," Shepard complained as the Mako settled into the Normandy's lower deck.

"At least it's a dry heat," Kaidan said. She looked at him with wide eyes, and burst out laughing.

Williams and Garrus watched the two of them laughing with odd expressions. Garrus of confusion and interest in human interaction. Williams with an expression that said 'oh please could you be more obvious.'

"Everyone in the briefing room," she ordered as she pulled her armor off. "Liara, stay there."

Liara stood, watching as Shepard took away her armor piece by piece. "Doctor, you mean to tell me that you don't know anything about what your mother may have been up to. Or why Saren would want to kidnap you?"

"No, I do not," Liara said. "I…I am actually quite frightened by it."

"Come on. I'm taking you into the debriefing with us. Then we can figure out where to drop you off."

"Drop me?" Liara asked with wide eyes.

"On a planet. Where you would like to go? Citadel? For example. Yeah…we'll just stick with the Citadel," Shepard said.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 - Liara**

"Hey, Commander, glad you're back," Joker said in a mocking tone. "Thanks for cutting it close, too. Ten more seconds and we would have been swimming in _molten sulfur_. The Normandy isn't equipped to land in exploding volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull. Just for future reference."

Shepard shook her head, trying to hide her smirk.

"We almost died out there and…your pilot is making jokes?" Liara said, sitting uncomfortably between Garrus and Wrex.

"Joker got our asses out of there. He has the right to a few bad jokes," Shepard said.

"I see," Liara muttered. "It must be a human thing. I don't have a lot of experience dealing with your species, Commander. But I am grateful to you. You saved my life back there. And not just from the volcano. Those geth would have killed me or dragged me off to Saren."

"What did Saren want with you? Do you know something about the Conduit?" Alenko asked.

"Only that it was somehow connected to the Prothean extinction. That is my real area of expertise. I have spent the past fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them," Liara said.

"Fifty years? How old are you?" Shepard asked. Asari looked similar to humans, human females specifically. Though they were blue and instead of hair they had rows of flesh that stuck out, like turian fringe. It was impossible to tell their age, however most young Asari weren't career minded individuals.

"I hate to admit it, but I am merely a hundred and six," Liara said.

"Damn! I hope I look that good when I'm your age," Ashley laughed.

"I don't care how I look, I'd just like to see a hundred and six," Shepard smiled. While humans on average lived to 150 years due to advances in medicine and technology, she knew her line of work brought her life expectancy down considerably.

"A century may seem like a long time to a short-lived species like yours. But among the asari I am barely considered more than a child," Liara said, sounding frustrated over the fact. It made sense, though, seeing as the asari lived for a thousand years. "That is why my research has not received the attention it deserves. Because of my youth, other asari scholars tend to dismiss my theories on what happened to the Protheans."

Shepard looked around the room, and then focused on Liara, "I've got my own theory about why the Prothean's disappeared."

Liara looked at Shepard with almost amusement, "With all due respect, Commander, I have heard every theory out there. The problem is finding evidence to support them. The Protheans left remarkably little behind. It is almost as if someone did not want the mystery solved. It's like someone came along after the Protheans were gone and cleansed the galaxy of clues." Liara looked around the room, the group watching her and listening her. She got a little excited to show off her research so far. "Here is the incredible part. According to my findings, the Protheans were not the first galactic civilization to mysteriously vanish. This cycle began long before them."

"Where did you come up with that?" Shepard asked.

"I have been working on this for fifty years. I have tracked down every scrap and shred of evidence. Eventually, subtle patterns start to emerge. Patterns that hint at the truth. It is difficult to explain to someone else. I cannot point to one specific thing to prove my case. It is more a feeling derived from a half-century of dedicated research. But I know I'm right. And eventually, I will be able to prove it. There were other civilizations before the Protheans. This cycle has repeated itself many times over."

Shepard hung on every word. Liara didn't know half of what was going on, she was just happy to have someone hear about her research. "If the Protheans weren't the first, then who was?" Shepard asked quietly, trying not to sound too eager.

"I don't know. There is barely any evidence on the Protheans. Even less on those who came before them. I cannot prove my theory, yet. The galaxy is built on a cycle of extinction. Each time a great civilization rises up, it is suddenly and violently cast down. Only ruins survive. The Protheans rose up from a single world until their empire spanned the entire galaxy. Yet, even they climbed to the top on the remains of those who came before. There greatest achievements, the Mass Relays and the Citadel, are based on the technology of those who came before them. And then, like all the other forgotten civilizations throughout galactic history, the Protheans disappeared. I have dedicated my life to figuring out why."

Shepard paced the circular room once, and Liara looked around. All eyes went from her to Shepard.

"Doctor, I'm…"

"Liara, is fine," Liara interrupted, smiling and looking fairly pleased after giving them the quick version of her research.

Shepard locked eyes with Liara, "Liara. The Protheans were wiped out by a race of sentient machines. The Reapers."

Liara looked confused, "The…Reapers? But I have never heard of...How do you know this? What evidence do you have?" She asked, suddenly a little upset. Half her life's work and a _human_ knew something she didn't?

"There was a damaged Prothean beacon on Eden Prime. It burned a vision into my brain. I'm still trying to sort out what it all means," Shepard muttered, walking to the only empty chair next to Kaidan and falling into it.

Liara was suddenly excited again, "Visions? Yes! That makes sense! The beacons were designed to transmit information directly into the mind of the user. Finding one that still works is extremely rare. No wonder the geth attacked Eden Prime. The chance to acquire a working beacon, even a badly damaged one, is worth almost any risk. But…the beacons were only programmed to interact with Prothean physiology. Whatever information you received would have been confused…unclear."

Shepard nodded, "Yeah, that would be an understatement."

Liara took in a deep breath, looking over Shepard with new eyes. "I am amazed you were able to make sense of it at all. A lesser mind would have been utterly destroyed by the process. You must be remarkably strong-willed, Commander."

Kaidan shifted uncomfortably in his chair, watching Liara look at Shepard with a look he knew…he looked at Shepard like that sometimes. "This isn't helping us find Saren. Or the Conduit," he said.

Liara looked at him, her face becoming serious, "Of course. You are right. I am sorry. My scientific curiosity got the better of me. Unfortunately, I do not have any information that could help you find the Conduit. Or Saren."

Shepard nodded, "That's alright. At least whatever Saren had planned for you, he won't get. We'll set a course to the Citadel, from there you may want to look into getting yourself back to Asari space, somewhere safe."

"Wait, Commander," Liara said. "I would feel safer if you let me stay on your ship. Besides, my knowledge of the Protheans might prove useful if more information comes up." Shepard looked at her, thinking it over. "I am a powerful biotic, you saw me help you take down the geth and krogan. I may not be able to protect myself against an army alone, but I can certainly hold my own with others at my side."

Shepard stood up, "Alright, Liara. Welcome to the team."

Liara stood up, "Thank you, Commander! I am very grateful!" Liara swayed a bit, "Oh…whoa, I am afraid I am feeling a bit light-headed."

Shepard put a hand on Liara's elbow to steady her, "Alright, go to the med bay. Chakwas will check you out. Everyone, dismissed."

Shepard set a course for the Citadel, even with Liara staying they needed to pick up provisions for the dextro DNA crewmembers before they ran out. The flight back she would finish her mission report, file it to Alliance and Council, maybe catch a few hours of sleep, if she was lucky.

"Commander? I was hoping that I could have a chance to speak with you," Liara said.

Shepard was sitting at the mess table, a data pad on her right and a cup of coffee on her left, "Sure, Liara."

"I never properly thanked you for saving me from the geth, Commander. If you hadn't shown up…" she looked down, her brow furrowed.

"I'm just glad we got there in time," Shepard said. "We spent a couple days traveling between systems looking for you."

"I know you took a chance, bringing me onboard this ship. I have seen the way your crew looks at me. They do not trust me. But I am not like Benezia. I will do whatever I can to take down Saren. I promise."

Shepard nodded, "I believe you."

"That means a lot to hear you say that, Commander. Thank you."

Shepard looked at Liara, but she didn't walk away or make a move to talk further. "You've spent most of your life working, haven't you?" Shepard guessed.

Liara nodded, "Yes. Mostly on remote digs, unearthing mundane items in long-forgotten ruins."

Shepard nodded, she could relate to that, in a way. While Liara was socially awkward because she was always alone, Shepard was only socially awkward with civilians. She decided to change that to human civilians, seeing as she was getting along with aliens just fine. "I suppose that can be dangerous. And lonely, too."

Liara sat down, eager for the chance to talk further. "Sometimes I do run afoul indigenous life-forms, or stumble across a small band of mercenaries or pirates. But I was always careful. Until the geth I never found myself in any situation that my biotics could not handle. As for the solitude…well, that was on aspect that always appealed to me. Sometimes I just need to get away from other people."

Shepard had to think about that before questioning her further, "You…don't like other people?"

"I suppose it comes from being a Matriarch's daughter. People expected me to follow in Benezia's footsteps. They wanted me to become a leader of our people. Matriarch's guide their followers into the future, they seek the truth of what is yet to come. Maybe that is why I became so interested in the secrets of the past. It sounds foolish when I say it out loud. It sounds like I became an archeologist just in spite of my mother."

"Rebellion is a normal enough thing, I think," Shepard said.

Liara smiled, her blue eyes looking over Shepard with admiration, "You share the wisdom of the Matriarch, Shepard. Was joining the Alliance a way for you to rebel against your parents?"

Shepard shook her head, "No. I actually wasn't much of a rebel. A bit of a slacker, but not a rebel. I didn't have parents to rebel against."

Liara's mouth opened, "Oh…I am sorry…"

"Don't be," Shepard said. "I may be a…third your age, but that's plenty of time for a human to get over being an orphan. Never really had an issue with it to begin with."

"Still…I…apologize for the assumption and any…"

"Liara," Shepard said firmly. "Relax."

"Apologies, Commander," she said again. "But what you said, about rebelling, is almost exactly what Benezia said when I told her of my decision. But it wasn't just rebelling. I was drawn to the past. The Protheans were these wondrous, mysterious figures. I wanted to know everything about them. That is also why I find you so fascinating." Shepard cocked an eyebrow. "You were touched by the beacon on Eden Prime. You were touched by _working_ Prothean technology."

"Sounds like you want to dissect me in a lab, Liara," Shepard said.

"What?! No!" Liara said quickly, looking horrified. She had been trying, hopelessly, to get to know Shepard, to show her that she was fascinated with her, and she had screwed it up! "I did not mean to insinuate…ah, I never meant to offend you! I only meant that you would be an interesting specimen for in-depth study." Liara looked more horrified. "Oh, no, that's even worse."

"Liara! Liara!" Shepard laughed. "Relax, it was a joke. Calm down."

Liara looked immediately relieved, "Joking?! Oh, by the Goddess! How could I be so dense? You must think I am a complete and utter fool! Now you know why I prefer to spend my time in the field with data disks and computers. I always seem to say something embarrassing around other people. Please…just pretend this conversation never happened."

Shepard quieted her laughter, "I'm sorry, Liara. I didn't mean any hard feelings by it. Just some good-natured teasing…that was lost."

"Do you ever get embarrassed, Shepard?"

Shepard thought about it, and shook her head, "No, not really. I've learned to be able to laugh at myself. I stumble on words sometimes, or miss the punch line of a joke. Just share a laugh and put it behind me."

"You make it sound easy," Liara said.

Shepard did some math in her head. If Liara was a little over a century, and asari's lived a thousand years, she'd only gone through ten percent of her life so far. While humans, maxing out around 150, ten percent would be like a fifteen year-old. When Shepard was that age, she hadn't been nearly as confident as she was now. "I had to work on it. In the military things are often pretty strict. Sometimes to ease the tension…we played pranks on each other. I did a few, had some pulled on me. You learn to give and take."

"Again, very wise, Commander," Liara said, her blue eyes wide as she looked at Shepard.

Shepard set her data pad aside, leaning forward slightly, "Liara, do you have any idea why Benezia would join up with Saren?"

Liara's face fell a bit, she would much rather talk about Shepard some more than go back to Benezia, but she answered. "I don't understand it. She was always outspoken about the need for the asari to become more involved in shaping galactic events. Maybe she thought allying herself with Saren would somehow be for the greater good in the long run. At least…I hope so. I have not spoken to Benezia in many years, but I know her! This is not like her. Something changed."

"I'm glad you asked to join us, Liara," Shepard said. "Maybe when we find Benezia you can talk some sense into her."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 - Kaidan**

Shepard sent her mission report to the Council and Alliance, checking the time they still had a few hours until they reached the Citadel. She stood up and stretched, wincing as her right shoulder pinched. "Damn it," she groaned, rubbing her shoulder with her left hand while rotating it slowly.

"You get hurt down there?" Alenko asked casually.

"No, just an old injury," she said. "Shoulder got crushed not long after N7 training. They replaced most of the bone with an alloy, was back in action in less than a month."

"Anything Chakwas can do to help you?"

"I've had a dozen different doctors look. It's nothing serious, just aches every now and then," she said. "How about you, you feeling alright?"

He shrugged, "Bit if a pinch right behind my forehead, been there since we got back to the Normandy. Usually if it's going to be a bad migraine it flares up quickly."

"Anything Chakwas can do to help you?"

"Something like this, nah, I just run with it," he said. "When they get serious, though, she has something that takes the edge off of them."

"Good. I'd hate for you to be…uncomfortable," she said, turning her back to him and pouring herself another cup of coffee.

"If you have a minute, Commander, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something. Off the record?"

She turned around, they were alone in the mess. She smiled a bit, she liked the sound of something off the record. Though, knowing Kaidan the Alliance code was the bible and it wouldn't be anywhere near what she was hoping for. No matter what, she enjoyed their talks, "I always make time for my officers."

"Thanks," he said. "It's just, I think there is something wrong here. Saren is looking for records on some kind of galactic extinction. But we can't get backup from the Council? Sorry, Commander. There's writing on the wall here, but someone isn't reading it," he said.

She nodded, definitely not what she had expected from him. A vent on the Council doing nothing. But he had a good point, even without knowing that much one would think a government as large as the Council would want to move to protect itself from any serious threat.

"The Council doesn't want to believe anything's wrong. I'd call it human nature, but…" she shrugged instead of finishing the sentence.

He laughed, "I hear, you. It seems like a group that's been around as long as the Council should see this coming. It's funny. We finally get out here, and the final frontier was already settled. And the residents don't even seem impressed by the view. Or the dangers."

A slow grin spread across her mouth, "Well, well. You're a romantic. Did you sign up for 'the dream,' Alenko? Secure man's future in space?"

His face reddened a bit with her teasing, "Yeah, I read a lot of those books when I was a kid. Where the hero goes to space to prove himself worth of the woman he loves," he said, realizing he was looking in her eyes too deeply. He looked away, "Or, you know. For justice." He shook his head, feeling silly just thinking back on those old stories. "Maybe I was a romantic in the beginning. But I thought about it after Brain camp, uh. Sorry. 'Biotic Acclimation and Temperance training.' I'm not looking for 'the dream.' I just want to do some good. See what's out here. Sorry if I got too informal. Protocol wasn't a big focus back in BAaT."

"We nearly get blown out of a volcano, we can let the protocol slide a bit," she assured him. "Hell, as far as we're concerned you are off duty for the night and I'm just slacking."

He laughed, "You, slack? Ha! I saw you start working on that mission report before you were even out of the briefing room."

"I'm trying slack. I'm out of practice," she smiled. "Liara and I had a good talk a while ago. I want to call her a kid, because she seems so…naïve and innocent…but…"

"She's older than the two of us put together," he said. "Add in Ash and we'll get a bit closer."

"I know!" she said. "But she's sweet. What do you think about her?"

He shrugged, "She does seem nice enough. If you like the bookish sort."

"Oh?" Shepard said. "Is that your sort, Lieutenant?"

He laughed nervously, turning a bit red again and making her grin wider, "Uh, no, actually. I think I'm more into adventurous women. And human, on top of that."

She bit her lip to stifle her own laughter now. Kaidan was a sweetheart, kind and polite, and honest. She took a sip of her coffee and said, "You mentioned BAaT, can you tell me a bit about it?"

He nodded, "Yeah. Biotic Acclimation and Temperance didn't last past the airlock. To the kids they hauled in, it was "Brain Camp.'" He sighed, "Sorry. 'Hauled in' is unkind. We were 'encouraged to commit to an evaluation of our abilities, so an understanding of biotics could be compiled.' There are worse results of 'accidental' exposure to element zero in the womb. Beats the brain tumors some kids grew up with." He said, his voice and face had a bit of resentment and regret in there.

"Is there some question about how you were exposed?"

"My mother was downwind of a transport crash. It was before there were human biotics. A little after the discovery of the Martian Ruins. It only gets iffy around '63 when Conatix was running out of first-gen subjects. Until then, they'd relied on accidentals. Bunch of guys in suits show up at your door after school. Next thing you know, you're out on Jump Zero."

"Gagarin station, right?"

"Yeah, that's the official name. Biggest and farthest facility we had for decades. Right on the termination shock, the outer edge of the solar system. It's where they did all the 'goose chase' FTL research. Before we caught on to using mass effect fields. It was a sterile research platform when I was there."

"There were other kids in the same boat, right? At least you weren't alone out there." 

"That's true. We did have a little circle that'd get together every night before lights-out. We didn't have much to do, though. It was a research platform then and Conatix kept Jump Zero off the extranet. To prevent leaks."

"Then you must have had plenty of time to get to know each other. Make friends?"

"Yeah. We'd sit around and bull every night after dinner. Play cards or network games. There was this girl named Rahna who had a little circle grow up around her. She was from Turkey. Her family was very rich. But she was smart, and charming as hell. Beautiful, but not stuck up about it." He managed a smile and a little nerve, "Like you, I guess. Ma'am."

The compliment had been sudden and unexpected, her turn to feel her face get warm. "Sounds like she was special to you."

"She was. Maybe she felt the same, but…things never fell together. Training. You know."

"You were all teenagers. I'm sure you found other ways to occupy the time," Shepard said, not convinced that everything had been so innocent.

"I'm not the sort who does that thing, Commander," he said, then added, "Not lightly, anyway. Rahna and I…we spent a lot of time together, but we kept our clothes on."

She wanted to laugh at him and smack him at the same time, sure he was playing with her. No one was that saintly. However, she was going to let it go, "Okay, Alenko, fair enough. But I lived in a group home my whole life, with kids all ages. When my group hit their teenage years it was not pretty."

He laughed, "I bet you had to beat the boys off with a stick."

"Actually, no," she said, and laughed. "There were a few that were...special, I guess. But I guess the same, nothing serious ever happened. Mostly though we were all just friends. I think I was too much of a tomboy to be considered a real girl."

"I could see that," Kaidan nodded. He saw her waste mercs and geth left and right and threaten to kneecap Fist, she wasn't the typical woman. "Anyway. This was supposed to be a casual debrief, not a bull session about stuff that happened years ago."

"No, this was fun. I liked getting to know you better. Thanks for the talk, Kaidan."

"Well, you're welcome," he said, and quickly added, "Ma'am. You, uh…make a habit of getting this personal with everyone?"

She shook her head, "No. No, I don't. We'll talk again later."

"Yeah, I'd like that," he said with a smile.

Kaidan took a seat at a station, he wasn't needed at this time but he wanted to work, do something. Ashley had her vids and messages from home to keep her busy in downtime. Garrus and Wrex liked their weapons. Tali had Adams and the engineering crew. And…well, he just had a private and personal conversation with Commander Shepard, and it had gone both ways. It was bothering him, in the back of his mind, that it could never go further than being friends and a few flirtatious comments. The regulations against fraternizing were there, but he was just getting ahead of himself when he thought about that.

Shepard stretched her aching shoulder a few more times before lying on the bed in the Captain's cabin. She thought about the information Liara had given her, about Protheans and Benezia. Liara seemed to be a kind person, extremely intelligent, and a powerful biotic. She knew it would take the crew some time to learn to trust Liara, just like it had taken time to trust that Wrex wouldn't tear them apart and take over the ship.

And there was the conversation with Kaidan. It had started out related to the mission, and then it was completely personal. She shut her eyes tight, feeling embarrassed that they had talked about their (lack of) teenage sex lives. She was going to assume he had played it down, because she had done the same. Seriously, teenagers holed up in a training camp with nothing but a deck of cards and each other to keep them entertained? They had more than that at the orphanage she grew up in and it wasn't close to innocent.

Her thoughts faded away into a restless sleep, full of incomprehensive and nightmarish visions of an extinct alien race.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 - Tali**

After spending a day docked in the Citadel, getting provisions suitable for Garrus and Tali and allowing the crew a short leave, they were back out in space and going into the Traverse to continue looking for Geth.

"Tali, I got something for you," Shepard said, setting modified armor down. "You'll have to help me out, I'm not sure how this will work with your bio-suit."

"I…I don't know if I can accept this…"

"I need you to be protected," Shepard said. "Its standard Alliance issue, light, good for recon. You already got shot by the geth once."

"I know you are right…but I don't have any way to repay you."

Shepard laughed, "This didn't cost me anything, Tali. Told the Alliance I needed to refit a few of my crew, they gave it to me."

"But your time…"

"Tali," Shepard said firmly. "Take the damn armor. That's an order."

Tali hung her head, but sounded a bit amused, "Yes, Commander."

Shepard helped Tali into it, watching where it would interfere with her suit. Together they worked out a design, it would need further improvements and modifications.

"You are very good at this," Tali said as Shepard began working on the armor. "Does the Alliance train all their people to do this?"

"No, I started learning this out of boredom and need," Shepard said. "I haven't survived this long because I can dodge bullets. But this is nothing compared to you. Adams tells me how amazing you are with the ship, helping him out."

Tali shrugged, "That is nothing. I grew up on ships, I learned out of necessity. Many of our ships are second-hand or salvaged pieces. We have to do what we can to preserve them, keep them in working order. Still, I can't believe how amazing this ship is. And how you jammed a drive core so large into a ship so small!"

"Cutting edge technology, or so I've been told."

"Well, I am beginning to understand why humans are so successful. You are very advanced for a race still new to the galaxy."

"The Normandy was a collaborated effort with Alliance and Council," Shepard said.

"Either way, it is still impressive," Tali said. "A month ago I was patching a makeshift fuel line on a converted tug ship in the Flotilla. Now I'm sitting on board one of the most advanced ships in Citadel Space."

"I want to say I enjoy your enthusiasm, but…this isn't going to be a fun ride, Tali," Shepard said.

"I know," Tali said quickly. "But…I can't help but be excited."

Shepard nodded, she remembered that feeling from years ago. Finishing Basic, her first few assignments. "I am glad to have you along, Tali. And I don't remind you of the mission just to bring you down."

"Believe me, I understand the dangers. I have concerns, yes. I enjoy working with Adams on the ship, ensuring that it continues to run smoothly. But it hardly seems like work, and there is so little that really needs to be done. On the Flotilla it seemed like the job was never done."

"Maintaining the ships?" Shepard asked.

"That, and…well, we try to be independent as much as possible. Grow our own food, mine and process our own fuel. But there are some things we just can't make ourselves. That is why our Pilgrimages are so important."

"Tell me a bit more about that," Shepard said.

"Well, when my people reach maturity we leave our birth ships and seek acceptance with a new crew. It's necessary to maintain genetic diversity among the fleet. But no ship wants to accept someone who will be a burden on them. So to prove our worth we embark on a Pilgrimage. We set out alone, leaving the Flotilla and our families behind. We only return once we have found something of value we can bring back to the fleet. It is then presented as a gift to the captain of the respective ship we wish to join. If the gift is accepted, we are welcomed to the crew."

"So the captain can choose to reject a gift?" Shepard asked.

"That doesn't happen often. Most captains are eager to increase the size of their crew. It increases their own standing in our society. Even when the gift is not particularly valuable the captain usually accepts it out of a sense of tradition. However there is a stigma for presenting a sub-standard gift."

"It's still hard to believe that they just send you off alone," Shepard said.

"It's not like they just cast us out. Before we leave we are given lessons on how to survive outside the flotilla, and given gifts to help us on our journey. We also receive implants to fight off sickness and disease. Generations of living in a sterile environment has left our immune systems weak. Once we leave we are well equipped. This is a rite of passage for all quarians. If it were dangerous our numbers would suffer."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Shepard said.

"Do humans have anything like that?"

"No," Shepard said. "Not that I know of, anyway. Usually we live with our caregivers until we graduate high school, find a job and move out."

"Joining the military was the job you chose?"

"Back then I felt like I didn't have many other choices," Shepard said. "I didn't have any skills myself. Alliance offered training, paid for the uniform…and it's worked out pretty good. I love my job."

"You are concerned for my safety…the danger of the Pilgrimage and joining your crew, but you enjoy the danger?"

Shepard laughed, "I have training, Tali. I understand the danger, but I also understand what I'm fighting for. When I joined the Alliance I knew that at any time I may be required to give my life for the greater good, and if it comes to that then so be it. So I don't enjoy the danger, I understand and accept it, and I've been trained to neutralize it."

"Seems quarians are not so different from your Alliance. We, too, must give ourselves to the greater good of the flotilla."

Shepard nodded, "I can't say much since you are the only quarian I've ever seen, but I know you are a very unselfish person. Brave, too."

"Thank you, Shepard."

They worked together on the armor in silence for a few minutes, and Shepard broke the silence, "Anything you can tell me about the geth?"

"I doubt I can tell you more than what you already know," Tali said, almost shamefully. "I can tell you the stories of their origins, what they were when we created them, and how they turned on us."

"Go on," Shepard urged.

"They geth were originally created to serve as a manual labor force. Initially their intelligence was as limited as any AI. Over time we made small modifications to their programming to allow them to perform more varied and complex tasks, bringing them closer and closer to true AI status."

"I thought all AI research was banned by the Council?"

"This wasn't true AI research. We were skirting the bounds of the law, but we never did anything that was actually illegal. The changes were so insignificant, so gradual, that we were able to control them. Or so we thought. What we underestimated was the power of the neural network. A million geth thinking simultaneously created an inherently unstable matrix."

"Neural network? So the geth share information?" Shepard asked.

"Many of the geth's logic systems were designed to work in concert with other nearby geth. Basically, the more of them you have in a group the smarter they are."

"Like a group consciousness?" Shepard asked.

"No, nothing like that. They cannot share sensory data or information. They're programming cannot handle that much simultaneous input. Each geth maintains an individual awareness and identity, barely the intelligence of a trained animal. The neural network only operates on a process based level. It's basically the synthetic equivalent of a subconscious. But when they are in close proximity, they can coordinate low-level functional processes, freeing up more capacity for original or more independent thought."

"So…they get smarter when they are in larger groups," Shepard said.

"Yes. And as we built more and more geth their effective intelligence became more sophisticated, more abstract. One day a geth asked his quarian overseer questions about its existence. 'Am I alive? Why am I here? What is my purpose?' As you can imagine, this caused a near panic among my people."

"I don't see what's so bad about those questions," Shepard said.

"The geth were created to engage in mundane, repetitive or dangerous manual labor. That's fine for machines, but it won't satisfy a sentient being for long. They were showing signs of rudimentary self awareness and independent thought. If the geth were intelligent then we were essentially using them as slaves. It was determined inevitable that the newly sentient geth would rebel. My ancestors acted first. An order was sent out to all quarian controlled systems to disable all geth. The geth reacted violently."

Shepard grimaced, "Hard to blame them for fighting for their survival."

"It was decided there was no other choice. The geth were already on the verge of revolution. By acting quickly they hoped to end it before it begun. The hope was that most geth would be little more than machines, incapable of resistance. However they had progressed further than we had anticipated. The war was long and bloody, millions of quarians died. In the end, we fled. We feared the geth would pursue, but they never came beyond the Veil. Now we drift through space, exiles from our own home world."

"If the geth had become sentient, they ultimately were like a new species. Destroying them…wouldn't that be a form of genocide?" Shepard asked.

"We made a mistake when we created the geth. Not by fighting them. If we had not acted so soon they would have wiped us out. They are a synthetic life form. They have no use for organics, none. Why do you think they cut themselves off from the rest of the galaxy? Why do you think they've killed every organic being who's ever tried to contact them?"

"I'm sorry, Tali, it wasn't meant to offend you."

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to get so worked up. Most quarians tend to have very strong opinions about the geth."

"For good reason," Shepard agreed quietly. "Here, let's try this armor again."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 – Ashley**

Shepard's back was a bit stiff after sitting hunched over the armor for over an hour, but in the end Tali had a suitable hard-suit for the next time they had to go to a uninhabitable planet and protection when fighting started. She had gotten armor for Liara, as well. Luckily Liara fit just fine in human female armor, no modifications were immediately necessary.

Shepard was walking the kink out of her back when Williams jogged up to her, "Commander, are you busy?"

"Nope," Shepard said, rotating her neck.

"I was hoping I could have a minute of your time…off the record?" Williams asked nervously. It wasn't appropriate, but with a small crew she hoped Shepard would be a bit more permissive. So far Shepard actually seemed laid back. She let the casual stuff slide, even joined in on a few BS conversations with the servicemen.

"I keep an open door policy, Ash, talk freely," Shepard said, feeling a vertebrae crack in protest as she moved and the ache in her back began to fade.

"All right," Williams said, smiling a bit. "I know things are different aboard the Normandy, but—I'm concerned about the aliens. Vakarian and Wrex. With all due respect, Commander, should they have full access to the ship?"

Shepard sat down and motioned for Ashley to do the same, "I can understand your concern, Chief. While they aren't Alliance, they are allies. At least as far as Saren goes."

"This is the most advanced ship in the Alliance Navy. I don't think we should give them free reign to poke around the vital systems. Engines. Sensors. Weapons."

"You don't trust the Alliance's allies?"

"I'm not sure I'd call the Council races allies. We, humanity, have to learn to rely on ourselves."

Shepard nodded, "Sure. But standing up for ourselves doesn't mean standing alone."

Ashley frowned a bit, she had always been strong in her opinion but Shepard had a point. "I don't think we should turn down allies. I just think we shouldn't bet everything on them staying allies. As noble as the Council members seem now, if their backs are against the wall, they'll abandon us."

Shepard chuckled, "You have a pessimistic view of the universe, Chief."

"A pessimist is what an optimist calls a realist," Ashley said with a smirk. "Think of it this way. If you are fighting a bear, and the only way for you to survive is to sic your dog on it and run, you'll do it. As much as you love your dog, it isn't human. It's not racism, not really. Members of their species will always be more important to them than humans are."

"I can tell that these are some deeply-held beliefs," Shepard said carefully. "And I'm not arguing. But what made you think this way?"

"My family has defended the Alliance since it was founded," Williams said, positive that Shepard already knew her history. "My father, grandfather, great-grandmother, they all picked up a rifle and swore the Oath of Service. I guess we just tend to think of Earth's interests as our own."

"I can see where your concerns are coming from, Ash. But this is a multilateral mission. You're going to have to work with aliens, like it or not," Shepard said, and actually sounded apologetic.

Williams nodded quickly, "It won't be a problem, Commander. You say 'jump,' I say 'how high.' You tell me to kiss a turian, I'll ask which cheek."

Shepard laughed, "I don't think kissing turians will be necessary, Williams."

Ashley smiled and shrugged, "You never know, Commander."

"Thanks for the talk, Williams," Shepard chuckled.

"Thank you, ma'am," Williams said, and walked away.

Ashley walked away, not surprised that Shepard didn't kick the aliens out of the airlock. It wasn't what she had been looking for. She just wanted a moment to vent, voice her concerns. And Shepard had listened. More than most commanders would do.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 – Feros, Zhu's Hope**

"Commander, incoming message from the Citadel," Joker called.

Shepard had been sitting in the mess with Kaidan, Ashley, and Liara, and got to her feet, "On my way." She reached the CIC, and Joker patched it through.

"Commander, we just got word from a colony on Feros, I'm sending Joker the coordinates," Anderson said. "They've reported a geth attack."

"Joker, get us there," Shepard ordered. "Can you tell me anything about Feros, Cap?"

"ExoGeni corporation set up the colony as a means to further study the Prothean ruins there. The colony is actually set in one of the ancient city skyscrapers that was left behind. After the distress call we haven't been able to get word to or from them."

"We're three hours out, Commander," Joker said.

"Thanks, Cap. We'll take it from here," Shepard said.

She gathered her crew in the briefing room and told them where they were going.

"Nearly a week and we hadn't seen anything, I was starting to get concerned," Garrus said.

"Just because we haven't seen action for a while does not mean we can get sloppy," Shepard pointed out. "There are colonists, we don't know how bad they've been hit. We need to get in and save them if we can."

"I understand the need to save civilians, Shepard, but isn't the main goal of our mission to find Saren and the Conduit?" Garrus asked.

"Not at the cost of lives," Shepard said. "Saren sent the geth to attack Feros for a reason. We save those colonists we might be able to find out why."

"Here is the ExoGeni lab," Kaidan said, pulling up a holographic map of the area. "There is a set of bridges that connect the buildings, and the lab is only a few clicks away. I'd think that would have something more interesting than the colony."

Shepard nodded, "Yeah. But to get to the lab we have to dock at the colony first and head out on those bridges. We clear the geth, search the colony and then the labs."

"Commander, check this out," Joker said. Shepard looked at the scans, her lips parting. "That's a geth ship."

"And it's attached itself to the ExoGeni lab," she said. She looked at Tali, "How many geth can one ship like that hold?"

"Thousands," Tali said anxiously.

"It's blocking radio signals, Cap," Joker said. "Until it goes down you won't have any contact with the ship."

"Got it. We'll do what we can," Shepard said.

The team was assembled at the airlock when Joker docked the Normandy outside the colony of Zhu's Hope.

"Eyes forward," Shepard ordered as they stepped out of the airlock.

"Up ahead, that's not geth," Ashley said.

"Hold fire, stay back," Shepard said, holstering her assault rifle and walking towards the human. "Glad to see you, we weren't sure we'd get here in time."

"We saw your ship," the colonist said. "Fai Dan wants to speak with you immediately. The geth wait for no one, they are preparing another attack."

"Who is Fai Dan?"

"He's our…leader. Just go up the…" he pointed and shots were fired, tearing him down.

They bounced off Shepard's shields and she shouted a curse. Feeling the vibration run through her with each hit as her shields depleted. Her team started firing from behind cover. She retreated back to them, dropping below cover as her shields died out.

"Are you alright, Shepard?" Kaidan asked, reloading his weapon.

"I hate robots," she growled, standing out of cover as her shields came back up and firing.

They cleared the docking bay after a few minutes, and she ordered them to move out immediately. The colony didn't have time to wait for them to catch their breath.

"Commander, just a request…try _not_ to get the Normandy in the crossfire. Don't want to scuff the paint," Joker said.

"We're fine, thanks for asking, Joker," Williams snapped back.

Slowly they reached the colony, seeing a few armed guards keeping a watch on the tunnel they came through. "Hold your fire, we're here to help," Shepard called. "We cleared the geth from the docking bay to here."

"Thank god," one of them muttered. "Fai Dan is back guarding the rear tunnel, you should speak with him."

"So I've been told," Shepard muttered, holstering her weapon and looking at the colony.

Zhu's Hope was in rough shape. Damaged machines, and more dead bodies than coffins to put them in. There were only a hundred colonists left, out of a thousand. They hadn't come soon enough.

"I'm glad they finally sent somebody to help us," Fai Dan said after Shepard introduced herself.

"You are a bit late, aren't you?" the woman standing next to him snapped, her name tag read Arceila Silva.

"I wish we could have been here to prevent this," Shepard said. "We came as soon as we could."

"I'm sorry, Commander. Everyone's on edge since…"

"Watch out!"

"Incoming!" guards shouted.

Shepard ordered half her team to the entrance tunnel and the other half to stay with her at the exit tunnel. Together with the guards they mowed down the geth as they tried to infiltrate the colony again.

"Clear," Shepard said. "Williams, Garrus, keep your scope down this tunnel."

"Aye, aye," Williams said, dropping to one knee and keeping her weapon trained down the tunnel.

"Are their any other survivors?" Shepard asked Fai Dan.

"Everyone was here when the attack hit. We are all that is left."

"There was another ship in one of the docking bays," Shepard said. "We can escort you back there…"

"What? And leave our home! Never. We will all stay and defend it!" Fai Dan said.

"There are potentially thousands of geth coming to finish you guys off. I have to get to the ExoGeni labs and look for more survivors, I can't just…"

"No, leaving is out of the question," he said firmly.

"Crazy…" Ashley muttered.

"Do you at least know why the geth are here? What is it you guys are doing here?" Shepard asked.

"We farm, survive. We have some archeologists here to examine the ruins," Fai Dan said. "Nothing remarkable has been found. ExoGeni funded this colony, a lot of us work them, too. We don't know what the geth would be after, though."

Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, "A small fraction of your colony has survived, you have geth at your doorstep…and you are refusing to evac?"

"There is something tranquil about this place. Unlike anything I've ever experienced before," Fai Dan said. "There is a chance for growth here unlike there is on other worlds."

Shepard was about to argue when someone watching out the high windows called down, "I see another one of those ships, it's hanging around the ExoGeni base."

Shepard grimaced, that left them without the option of sending the colonists to run, they'd get shot down before they could get out of the planets atmosphere.

"We're going to the labs," Shepard said, gathering her team together again. "We can't evacuate the colonists, geth fighters are hanging out. I'm taking a team to the lab, and I'm leaving a team under Alenko's command to protect the colonists from any more geth attacks."

Alenko nodded, "Shouldn't need much here, ma'am. Those tunnels are choke points. As long as we stay focused we should be able to handle anything they throw at us."

"I know," Shepard said. "Liara and Williams will stay with you."

"Ma'am?" Williams looked at her, hurt.

"Ash, I trust you to do anything in your power to protect these people. And Liara's biotics can crush whatever comes through."

"Yes, ma'am," Ashley nodded.

"You three, come here," Shepard motioned for them and they walked towards her. "Something feels really strange about this colony."

"Just getting that feeling, Commander?" Ashley asked. "I swear, Fai Dan is nuts. Refusing evacuation?"

"Just keep the geth out, make sure they don't take any more casualties," Shepard said. "Watch your asses."

"Yes, ma'am. And be careful," Kaidan said.

Shepard ordered the rest of the team to follow her out the exit tunnel and Williams chuckled. "She said watch our own asses, not hers."

Kaidan shook his head, "Go watch the rear, Williams. Liara will watch the front and I'll move back and forth as needed."

"Watching the rear, I hear you, L-T," Williams chuckled.

Liara walked beside Kaidan to the front entrance, "You and Shepard have a personal relationship?"

"Uh…no, we don't. She's my Commander," he said.

"Hm," Liara said, smiling a little. "She is a rather fascinating woman, though."

"She's a war hero," he said. "Not a glory seeker, though. Unless she's comparing tactics she won't give up a battle story."

"That is…admirable?"

"It means she isn't…full of herself. She's down to Earth."

"Down to Earth?" Liara questioned.

"Never mind," he muttered, taking position at the front entrance.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 – Feros, ExoGeni Lab**

Going up a few levels from Zhu's Hope was a garage and a few rovers used to transport people from the colony to the lab. Shepard kicked the rover, "Not as sturdy as the Mako, but it'll move faster than we can on feet."

"There is a shield generator, but it is busted. I think I can fix it," Tali offered.

"Go for it."

"Can I drive?" Wrex asked.

"Um…okay," Shepard said.

Shepard gripped the dashboard and the roof as Wrex floored the rover, sending them bouncing over debris on the skyway towards ExoGeni. Instead of slowing so someone could shoot geth from the window he ran them over. Either way, he cleared the geth troops on the bridge and got them there in less than ten minutes without driving them over the edge.

"You like driving, Wrex?" Shepard said, jumping out of the borrowed rover as it came to a stop.

"Oh yes," he rumbled, highly amused.

"To be fair, maybe I can drive next time?" Garrus suggested.

"Oh, I am driving back," Shepard said quickly. She wanted to make the aliens of her team feel _less_ alienated, but she was not risking her life thousands of feet in the air on a bridge again. Maybe on a planet.

"I'm getting something on the radio," Tali said. "Survivors at the base. The Geth ship is interfering, mostly static."

They were in the garage to the ExoGeni lab, the end of the skyway, but not at the lab yet. They moved quickly, taking out geth as they went.

"Bunker up ahead," Tali said. "Signal coming from there."

"Signs of geth?" Shepard asked.

Tali looked at her omni-tool, "None nearby."

Shepard reached the door to the bunker, "Hello! Anyone still alive in there?"

"Stay back! We'll shoot!" A man shouted from inside.

"Relax, Jeong! They're obviously not geth!" A woman snapped back.

"This is Commander Shepard of the Normandy, we're here to help. We're clear outside, it's safe to open the door." The door slid open and she was greeted by three guns aimed at her. She held her hands up and walked in slowly, "See. Not geth," she said, and slowly their lowered their weapons. She looked around, half dozen armed guards and about twenty lab workers were all that was left.

A man walked to her, "What do you want?"

"I'm here to remove your geth problem," she said, eyeing the pistol he was holding at his side. Looking at his uniform he was one of the lab workers, not a guard or soldier.

"You see!" The woman said, "They are here to help. I'm Juliana, and this is Jeong."

"You trust too easily, Juliana," the man snapped at her.

"I'm just glad to see a friendly face. I thought we were the only humans left on this planet," Juliana said.

"Fai Dan and some of the other colonists are still alive. They are holding Zhu's Hope with half of my team."

Juliana turned at Jeong, "I thought you said they were all dead!"

"I said they were probably all dead," he corrected her.

Shepard made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat, "They are not all dead, they've been getting pounded by the geth. Nice way to look out for your fellow man."

"We can imagine what they've been through," Juliana said quickly. "Those damn synthetics are relentless."

"We're going to do what we can to keep them away from you, but I'm going to need some information," Shepard said a bit more calmly.

"What kind of information?" Jeong asked suspiciously.

"Ignore him," Juliana said, her tone becoming more urgent. "The geth are up in ExoGeni headquarters. Just start heading up stairs, and eventually there is an elevator that will get you the rest of the way there."

"Those headquarters are private property. Remove the geth and nothing else!" Jeong snapped at her.

Shepard took a step closer to him, "Don't worry. Once I'm done cleaning out the geth I plan on getting any information I need directly from you."

Jeong shuddered with the masked threat, but didn't say anything further.

"Before you leave us…my daughter, Lizbeth. She's missing," Juliana said. "She was working in the labs before the attacks came."

"If she's in there, we'll get her out," Shepard said. "Listen, the geth have been sent here for a reason. Something in your lab, has to be. Why would they attack?"

"I don't know," Juliana said honestly. "We haven't found anything of use."

Shepard nodded, "Alright. You guys lock up behind us, it's still too dangerous to go out on the bridge without support."

They fought through the geth, through the offices and up to the higher levels of ExoGeni headquarters.

"Looks clear, not picking up any geth signal," Tali said, taking a breath.

"Hold position, I'm checking it out," Shepard said, moving around the corner carefully. She motioned for her team to follow her. They came up on a door, locked. She hacked into it, and it slid open.

Before she even raised her weapon again a shot was fired, close and right at her chest. It broke her shields and bounced off her armor, causing her to stagger back.

"Shepard!" Tali and Garrus gasped.

"Oh! Oh! I'm so sorry!" A woman cried, dropping her pistol and raising her hands as Tali and Garrus got ready to fire on her. "I thought you were geth! Oh my god…is she…did I?"

Shepard stepped forward and pushed Tali and Garrus to either side, "Takes more than a bullet to stop me. Who are you?"

"I'm Lizbeth Bowman, I work in the labs," she said. "I've been hiding here since the geth came."

"You're safe now, got most of them cleared out," Shepard said.

"Still have to deal with the geth ship," Wrex rumbled.

"Always a downer," Shepard sighed. "Lizbeth, how did you get stuck here?"

"It's my own fault. Everyone else was running and I stayed to back up data."

"Was it worth risking your life?" Shepard asked. Far be it for her to judge someone's loyalty to their job, but really…what could be so important here to risk hundreds of geth gunning you down? "You know what the geth are after, don't you?"

Lizbeth averted her eyes, "I don't know for certain, but I'm guessing they're here for the Thorian."

"Thorian? What is that exactly?" Tali asked.

"It's an indigenous life-form. ExoGeni was studying it," Lizbeth said, sounding ashamed.

"Funny, your mother said they hadn't found anything interesting," Garrus said.

"She…she is alive?" Lizbeth took a relieved breath. "Oh thank God."

"What can you tell me about the Thorian? Where is it?" Shepard asked.

"Incoming!" Wrex rumbled.

"Shit, get down!" Shepard growled, forcing Lizbeth to the floor while Garrus, Tali and Wrex handled incoming geth.

"They are going to keep reinforcing until we get rid of that ship," Tali said urgently.

"Garrus, stay with Lizbeth. Keep her safe, right here. Don't move unless this room bursts into fire, got it?"

"Got it," Garrus nodded.

"Come on you two, we have to get that ship off this building," Shepard said.

They continued searching the building and Tali pointed out the first claw of the geth ship that was anchoring it to the building, "Look."

The claw was larger than Wrex, and very secure, "You guys are going to want to get back," Shepard said, grabbing her grenades off her belt.

"Grenades aren't going to blast through that anchor," Tali argued.

"No, but it'll blast a hole in this wall easy enough," Shepard said.

Her team fell back and she planted the explosives. She got behind cover with her team, and detonated them. There was a blast that sent a cloud of debris in the air, a deep rumbling that shook the whole floor of the building.

Shepard looked around the corner as the dust settled, there was a massive hole in the side of the building and she caught just a glimpse of the geth ship falling.

_--Alenko's Team--_

Back at Zhu's hope the geth hadn't attempted another attack since Shepard's team had moved on. Alenko saw that as a good sign, that Shepard had cut them down on her way to the labs.

Ashley, however, pointed out it could be because they were focusing all their power on Shepard's team instead of the small and probably more useless colony.

"Pessimist," he had muttered at her.

"Look! The geth ship, it's going down!" One of the colonists who was watching out the high window called.

Alenko ran to his side, watching the geth ship fall over the building, crashing down. "She did it," he said with a smile. "Commander Shepard is crafty as hell. We'll have this place clear of geth in no time now."

He called Liara over to cover the rear entrance, sure that no further geth would be coming to the front. They had to watch the rear, any that were trapped between them and Shepard would probably attempt to reach the docking bay.

The colonists began to spread out, slowly surrounding the trio. Most of them weren't armed, only a dozen guards had weapons. Now that they were safe from the geth, they couldn't leave these ones there to pollute them, try and take them away for their own safety. They couldn't let them leave with any knowledge of the colony, or their purpose.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20 – Feros, ExoGeni cont.**

"Commander, an information terminal," Tali pointed out.

"We don't know how many geth are left, we need to get back to Lizbeth and Garrus," Shepard pressed.

"I know…but it has information on the Thorian," Tali said. "It's a plant."

"A plant?" Shepard said flatly. "Why the hell would the geth be interested in a plant?"

"It's been alive for thousands of years," Tali said. "It's actually located in Zhu's Hope."

"Damn it, I knew they were hiding something," Shepard hissed.

"Shepard…it gets weirder," Tali said. "It's a plant life-form that exhibits sentient behavior." Shepard opened her mouth to argue that possibility but Tali continued. "It disperses spores that when inhaled can control other organisms. Including humans. They were using Zhu's Hope as a control group."

Shepard blinked, "So…the Thorian is a _plant_ that can control minds?"

"You left half your team down there, Shepard. Your pilot and ship, too," Wrex said, but she didn't need the reminder.

"Shit," Shepard muttered.

"The geth ship is down, we should be able to get a signal through," Tali said hopefully.

"Normandy, this is shore party, do you ready?" Shepard said to the radio.

"Commander! Thank god you are alright," Joker said back. "Something weird is happening. The colonists are acting up…they're banging on the hull, trying to claw their way inside this ship. They are completely freaking out," Joker said.

"Don't let them in, Joker," Shepard said. "No way they can break into the Normandy."

"Commander!" Alenko said. "The colonists are in a complete revolt. Liara and I are keeping them at bay with biotic barriers, but they got us pinned down."

Shepard's heart thumped harder. "Don't fire on the colonists."

"They are trying to kill us!" Ashley snapped.

"They are under some sort of mind control," Shepard said urgently. "Try to restrain them…do what you have to, but try to find non-lethal methods. Alenko…you are still in charge down there until I get back. We'll be there as soon as we can."

"We'll hold out as long as we can, Commander," Alenko said.

They made their way back to Garrus, only a few geth in their way. Garrus tensed as he heard the shots, but relaxed when he saw Shepard at the door.

"Commander, I'm glad…" he started.

Shepard pushed him aside and grabbed Lizbeth by the shoulder and shoved her against the wall, "When someone comes and saves your life it is usually a good idea to give them any and _all_ information that can help them."

"I…I…" Lizbeth's face was grimacing in pain and she was trembling in fear.

"My team is down there with those colonists and they are trying to rip them apart because of the Thorian. We found the research, Lizbeth."

"Please!" she cried, "I was afraid. I wanted to stop the tests, but they threatened me. Told me I'd be next. I was really staying behind to try and send a message out, to tell someone what was really going on…but the power got cut."

Shepard released her, "Where, exactly, is the Thorian?"

"It's underneath Zhu's Hope, but the entrance is blocked. It's covered with a freighter. For…protection."

"I think we need to be concerned with why the geth want the Thorian," Tali said quietly. "Do we really want Saren or the geth to have access to a plant with mind-control abilities?"

"I might be able to help," Lizbeth said. "You said the colonists are fighting your team? I need to read over some research, but I might have an idea."

"Normandy to shore party," Joker said.

"What?" Shepard snapped.

"We're picking up a lot of geth comm. chatter, I think there are more heading your way," he said.

"We got to move," Shepard said.

As they got back to the bunker with the other ExoGeni employees they filled Garrus in on more of the details.

The bunker door was locked again, and this time they wouldn't open the door for her.

"You won't get away with this, Jeong!" Juliana was shouting inside, Shepard began to hack the door.

"Get her out of here!" Jeong shouted, and a guard grabbed her.

"Get away from her you son of a bitch!" Lizbeth howled, running forward fearlessly as the door slid open.

Shepard brought out her pistol as the guards went on alert.

"Lizbeth!" Juliana gasped, ripping herself away from the guard and running to her daughter. "Oh, I was so scared."

"Shepard. Damn it! I knew it was too much to hope the geth would kill you," Jeong said, pointing his pistol at her, his hand trembling slightly.

"I was hoping for more of a 'thank you for saving our lives' greeting, but this doesn't surprise me too much. I know what sick research you've been doing. You need to let these people go," Shepard said.

"You don't understand, it's not that easy. Communications are back up. ExoGeni wants this place purged," Jeong said.

"This is a human colony, Jeong! You can't just re-purpose us!" Lizbeth shouted.

"It's not just you! There is something far more valuable than a few colonists," Jeong said.

"Are you going to tell them about the Thorian, or should I?" Shepard asked. "If some damn plant is more valuable than their lives they have a right to know."

"The what? What's a Thorian?" Juliana asked.

"It's a telepathic life-form living under Zhu's Hope," Lizbeth said, sounding a bit ashamed.

"And it's taken control of the colonists and they are attacking my team right now," Shepard said, her eyes locked on Jeong and his pistol.

"No one is going to miss a few colonists," Jeong said, his voice shaking now, too.

"You're a bean counter, Jeong. I'm a Spectre. Tell me, how good are those odds?" she asked.

"A Spectre? That's a load of crap! There are no human Spectres!" he said, laughing nervously.

"Is that a chance you are willing to take?" Shepard asked.

"ExoGeni will send more assayers! They'll know what happened!" Jeong said.

"All you have to do is tell them the geth destroyed the Thorian," Shepard said.

"Maybe, but the colonists can't be here when the company men come," he argued.

"You can't just kill those colonists! It isn't their fault they were part of your sick experiment!" Shepard shouted at him.

"If you kill just the Thorian it won't be able to control the colonists. There may be some after effects, but it won't be rallying them anymore," Lizbeth said.

"It's up to you, Jeong," Shepard said quietly, her weapon trained on him. "You shoot, I shoot. I have armor and shields, you don't. I'm prepared to die…are you?" Jeong's nerve failed and he lowered the weapon. He let out a breath when Shepard lowered hers. "You are lucky my team needs back up right now, because if I had more time I'd be tearing you a new one and dragging your ass in."

"Commander…I think I have something," Lizbeth said softly. "You should be able to safely use a nerve agent to neutralize the colonists. Like a gas grenade."

"Releasing clouds of nerve gas doesn't seem like a very good idea," Shepard argued.

"It's not like its weapons grade," Lizbeth said, going to a crate in the bunker. "This insecticide we use in the grow labs contains trace amounts of Tetraclopine, a neuromuscular degenerator. The colonists nervous systems are already weakened, this should just temporarily paralyze them."

Shepard looked over the chemicals, "I can rig gas grenades," she said. "We have to get going, hopefully I can get it done in the rover. Stay here until its all clear. If you don't hear from us…it's probably not clear."

They got back in the rover and made their way back down the skyline. Shepard was working in the back while Tali and Wrex handled clearing geth in the path while Garrus drove. It was bumpy, but she rigged six gas grenades during that time.

"Commander, I just thought of something," Wrex said. "How do you kill a plant?"

"I'd say pull it by the roots and tear it apart. Burn it for good measure," she said.

"Something that has lived so long," Tali said, sounding a bit sad. "How could it have survived so long without it being more widely known?"

"Maybe for the better," Shepard said. "Can you imagine some people getting their hands on it? Imagine if Saren could enthrall people to his will, we'd be screwed."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21 – Feros, the Thorian**

They reached the garage for Zhu's Hope and started making their way down to the colony.

Liara was straining, holding a biotic barrier against weapon fire.

"Shepard, I'm glad to see you," Ashley said.

"You guys look like hell," Shepard noted. Both Liara and Alenko looked exhausted, and Ashley herself was scuffed up.

"We have no way to get back to the ship," Alenko said. "Half of what's left of the colony is trying to get at us."

Shepard looked at Liara's barrier, ten feet high and reaching across the doorway. She threw the grenade over, and as an afterthought asked, "Can the barrier block gases?"

The grenade exploded and a cloud of gas began to rise through the crowd, sending them in a greater frenzy.

"Can't…hold…much…longer…" Liara warned.

"Shit," Shepard said, throwing two more grenades over the top of the barrier.

"What is that?" Ashley asked.

"Nerve gas," Shepard said lightly. "Light, but I still wouldn't breathe it if we can avoid it."

"It's working!" Ashley said, watching the colonists fall down, one-by-one.

Liara's barrier fell, and a few colonists got through a few steps before falling.

Shepard knelt next to Alenko, "You okay?"

"Yeah, just a bit worn out," he said. "We weren't going to hold them much longer."

"You did great, Kaidan," she said, and went to Liara.

"We still have another fifty colonists out there somewhere," Ashley said. "I don't know if all of them went to the Normandy or not."

"I have a feeling once they realize we're going after the Thorian they are going to come back," Shepard said, handing the last three grenades to Ashley. "Liara and Kaidan, come with me for backup. Everyone else, if those colonists come I need you to use that gas on them. Gas first…spare them if you can," she said. "Williams is taking lead on this."

Williams' team got into position near the front entrance if the remaining colonists came back while Liara and Alenko looked at the center of the colony. "This is it, this freighter is hiding a tunnel," Alenko said and then pointed to the other side, "Crane over there, only way to move it."

"Got it," Shepard said, taking the controls of the crane. After some guesswork on how to run it and a few misses she grabbed onto the freighter and moved it away from the tunnel.

They dropped down and followed it. While walking along the tunnel she made sure they were caught up on the Thorian. Destroying the plant would be easy and quick once they found it, and since Liara and Alenko were worn out from holding back the colonists with their biotics it gave them a chance to rest.

"Sounds easy enough," Alenko agreed. "So we just need to find this creature and…" the tunnel opened into a large multi-level room, a massive plant hanging from the ceiling.

It was green with a few yellowish patches, easily twenty feet tall and sixty feet all the way around, Shepard guessed. Vines crisscrossed on the ground and walls, and a few fleshy pods on the walls. The largest part of it shuddered slightly.

"That does not look like any plant I've ever seen. This may be…problematic." Shepard said in awe as she looked it over. "Alenko, I need any spare grenades you may have."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, he too was in awe of the massive plant.

They got closer to it, examining it, looking for a weak spot. A way to take it down. But as they got closer it started convulsing and throbbing more noticeably, making them freeze in their steps. The bottom of the thing moved back and forth, and it began to make a noise like grunting.

A mucus like liquid fell from the bottom of it, and with it an Asari. The asari was green, no shade of blue to be found. She looked at Shepard with furious eyes, her body began to glow blue with biotic power.

"Invaders! Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to dig or decompose," the asari said. "I speak for the Old Growth, as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe!"

"Saren was already here?" Shepard asked. "Why was he here?"

"Saren sought knowledge of those who are gone. The Old Growth listened to flesh for the first time in the Long Cycle. Trades were made. Then cold ones began killing the flesh that would tend the next cycle. Flesh fairly given! The Old Growth sees the air you push as lies! It will listen no more!"

"I can't let you keep those colonists as…as…as your _thralls_," Shepard said. "Release them."

"No more will the Thorian listen to those that scurry. Your lives are short, but have gone on too long."

A wave of biotic energy flowed through the green asari and hit Shepard, throwing her in the air and slamming her against the wall. Liara and Alenko opened fire on the asari. Once it was down they went to Shepard's side.

"Commander, are you alright?" Liara asked, putting a hand on Shepard's face.

"That hurt," Shepard groaned, grabbing Alenko's hand and pulling herself up. "We need to destroy this thing."

"But we'll never discover what it gave Saren," Liara said.

"I'm with you, Shepard. We can't let this thing go on, doing what it's doing to people," Kaidan said.

"I'm going to climb it," Shepard said.

"What?" Alenko and Liara said at the same time.

"Plant grenades at several spots, detonate from a distance. Do we have a better plan?"

Alenko and Liara both shook their heads.

Shepard began looking around the room, looking for the best way to go at it. And the Thorian began grunting again.

They watched as the same asari that was dead on the ground fell out of the Thorian again.

"They are clones!" Liara gasped.

Shepard began firing as the asari glowed blue with biotic power. There was no cover in this room, no where to hide. Once again she was hit with a powerful wave of biotics and thrown up high and against the wall. This time, before she fell down, she grabbed onto a thick vine. The vine was thicker than her waist, and she had to hold on with both hands.

"Shepard!?" Liara cried out.

"Just keep those clones busy," Shepard said, moving across the vine to the largest mass of the plant.

"Shepard, watch out!" Liara warned.

Something hit Shepard's back, and wrapped around her middle. A vine, this one as thick as her wrist and flexible, grabbed her and threw her in the air.

Alenko watched in fear as her limbs flailed in the air, looking for something to grab. He reached his hand out, grabbing her with his biotics and throwing her into the Thorian, which looked like a relatively soft landing spot.

"Ugh…" Shepard groaned as she landed in the slimy mass. Its exterior was firm, almost like a finger nail. Easy enough to penetrate with a bit of force. Below it was something squishy, almost making her bounce off, like it was full of liquid. She dug her fingers into the skin of the thing and held on, grabbing a grenade off her belt and sticking it into the Thorian's flesh.

Vines grabbed at her weakly, but she moved quickly to the top of the Thorian, placing a grenade at where it had attached itself to the ceiling. Then to the other side, shoving another grenade into it.

"Alenko! Toss your grenades up!" Shepard shouted.

Alenko shot a few more rounds at the newest asari clone, and grabbed his string of three grenades and threw them in the air. Shepard caught them, and continued placing them.

She prepared her omni-tool to detonate them, wanting to be ready when she got to a safe distance. Without warning it shuddered under her, causing her to lose her balance and slide on its slimy surface, slowing only when she was near the bottom of it. Next to what she graciously considered its mouth, the opening that spawned the clones. She shoved her hand in the opening, putting the last grenade in it, and shouted to her team to run.

The grenades exploded, and there was a massive splash.

"Shepard! Are you okay?" Alenko asked, seeing his Commander on the ground covered in green mucus.

Slowly she got to her feet, pulling her glove off and wiping her face free of the slime, "No, I am not okay," she said. "I just got my ass handed to me…_by a plant_." She turned around, limping back to the room.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22 – The Cipher**

The Thorian seemed much smaller, deflated now. There was mostly the slimy green mucus, most of its flesh had been blown apart. "Think its dead?" Liara asked shyly.

"We'll burn what's left, that should do it," Shepard said. "Make sure it doesn't grow back."

"We should check in with Williams," Alenko said.

Shepard turned and unholstered her pistol, and he did the same immediately. One of the fleshy pods stuck to the wall was moving. It burst open and something fell out.

Another asari, but this one was purplish blue. She wobbled as she got to her feet, and raised her face to them. It was the same asari they had fought a dozen times, the original asari.

"I'm free!" the asari gasped. "I…I must thank you for freeing me!"

Shepard lowered her weapon, "Are you alright?"

"I am fine!" the asari said, and then lost her enthusiasm a bit. "Or…I will be. In time. My name is Shiala. I serve…I served Matriarch Benezia. When she allied herself with Saren so did I."

"Yes…she was one of Benezia's commandos," Liara said softly.

"Yes, I was," Shiala nodded.

Shepard kept her pistol in her hand, "Why did you follow Saren?"

"Benezia foresaw the influence Saren would have. She joined him to guide him down a gentler path. But Saren is compelling. Benezia lost her way. Benezia underestimated Saren. As I did. We came to believe in his cause and his goals. The strength of his influence is troubling," Shiala muttered.

"So Benezia tried to manipulate Saren, but in the end it was him working her strings?" Alenko asked.

"Asari Matriarchs are among the most intelligent and powerful beings in the galaxy. How could that happen?" Shepard asked.

"Saren has a vessel. An enormous warship unlike anything I've ever seen. He calls it Sovereign, it can dominate the minds of his followers," Shiala said. "They become indoctrinated to Saren's will. The process is subtle. It can take days, weeks. But in the end, it is absolute. I was a willing slave when Saren brought me to this world. He needed my biotics to communicate with the Thorian, to learn its secrets. He offered me in trade. I was sacrificed to secure an alliance between Saren and the Thorian."

"Saren already has the ability to control minds? Why work with the Thorian?" Shepard asked.

"He knows you are after him. After the Conduit. He attacked the Thorian so you could not gain the Cipher," Shiala said.

"The Cipher was what the Thorian had?" Shepard asked, and Shiala nodded. "Not quite what I was looking for but I'll take what I can get. What is a Cipher? Why did Saren need it?"

"The beacon on Eden Prime gave you visions. But the visions are unclear, confusing. They were meant for a Prothean mind. To truly comprehend them you must think like a Prothean. You must understand their culture, their history, their very existence," Shiala explained. "The Thorian was here long before the Protheans built this city. It watched and studied them. When they died, it consumed them. They became part of it."

Shepard looked at the remains of the Thorian, and back to Shiala. "So this thing taught Saren to think like a Prothean? How?"

"The Cipher is the very essence of being a Prothean. It cannot be described or explained. It would be like describing color to a creature without eyes. To understand you must have access to endemic ancestral memory. A viewpoint spanning thousands of Prothean generations. I sensed this ancestral memory, the Cipher, when I melded with the Thorian. Our identities merged, our minds intertwined. Such knowledge cannot be taught, it simply exists."

"Oh, well…that makes this so much easier," Shepard said tensely. "I need that knowledge to stop Saren."

Shiala looked uncomfortable, "There is a way. I can transfer the knowledge from my mind to yours as I did with Saren."

"Wait, seriously?" Shepard said, shocked.

"Yes, there is a way," Liara nodded. "Asari's are capable of transferring memories from one mind to another."

"Is it safe?" Alenko asked.

"Yes," Liara said.

Shiala stepped forward, and Shepard finally holstered her weapon. "Try to relax, Commander. Slow, deep breaths." Shepard followed her instructions. "Let go of your physical shell. Reach out to grasp the threads that bind us, one to another. Every action sends ripples across the galaxy. Every idea must touch another mind to live. Each emotion must mark another's spirit." Shiala was right in front of Shepard now. "We are all connected. Every living being united in a single glorious existence. Open yourself to the universe, Commander."

Shiala put her head back, closing her eyes, and when she looked forward again and opened her eyes they were pitch black. Before Shepard could be startled or afraid by the sight Shiala cried out, "Embrace eternity!"

Alenko clenched his fists as Shepard convulsed and swayed, but Liara put a hand on his shoulder to keep him front interfering.

Shepard felt like her whole body was on fire for a moment, and then it cooled as more violent images flashed past her. Nothing clear, still. More information than the beacon had held.

Alenko caught her as she swayed backwards, her knees weak.

"I have given you the Cipher, just as it was given to Saren. The ancestral memories of the Protheans are a part of you now," Shiala said.

Alenko looked down at Shepard, her eyes were wide and unfocused, "Are you all right, Shepard? What did she do?"

Shepard blinked, and slowly stood on her own feet. "I saw…something. More, but it still didn't make any sense."

"You have been given a great gift, the experience of an entire people. It will take time for your mind to process this information," Shiala said.

"You look a little…queasy," Alenko said gently. "We should get you back to the ship."

Shiala took another step back, "I am sorry if you have suffered, but there was no other way. You needed the Cipher. In it will help you understand the vision from the beacon."

"Now that you are free of the Thorian, what are you going to do?" Shepard asked quietly.

Shiala looked at her and tilted her head slightly, "If you allow it, I would like to stay here with the colonists. They have suffered greatly, and I played a role in their suffering. I would like to make amends."

Shepard nodded, "They do need help. I think they'll be happy to have you on their side."

Shiala nodded, "Thank you, Commander. May fortune smile upon you."

"Only thing I want to smile on me right now is a shower," she muttered.

Alenko chuckled, "We'll have you back on the Normandy in no time."

"Check in with Ashley," Shepard said. "And Joker."

She took a few steps on her own, and Alenko caught her before she fell on her injured leg. He put her arm over his shoulders and his arm around her waist to help her walk, "Yes, ma'am," he said.

"And Chakwas," she said, her knees going weak and making him hold her tight against him to keep her from falling. "Fucking plant."

The colonists were slowly coming around, and were no longer violent. Ashley and Liara worked on gathering them, letting Shiala speak with them. Garrus and Wrex went to handle finishing destroying the Thorian while Tali was watching the geth ships, they were leaving.

"On to med bay," Chakwas said as Alenko got Shepard on the ship.

"I need to go to my quarters," she said.

"From the way you are walking I think you've broken something," Chakwas said.

"Doc, cut me some slack," Shepard said. "If I had broken something do you think I'd be arguing with you?"

"Yes," Chakwas answered. "Take her to med bay, Lieutenant."

"Yes, ma'am," Alenko said, leading Shepard to the stairs.

"To my cabin, please, Alenko," Shepard said.

"Shepard, cut _me_ some slack, let the doc take a look," he said. "You got thrown around like a rag doll down there."

"Aw, you worried, Kaidan?"

"Yeah," he said honestly.

"Okay, to the med bay," she said, sounding amused and tightening her grip on his shoulder.

He left the med bay after taking Shepard's armor, the green slime of the Thorian was pretty repulsive. He and Liara didn't get it half as bad as Shepard had, but he'd get all three of their armors cleaned off before it dried.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 – After Feros**

Shepard was bruised, a bit concussed, and torn tendon in her leg. Chakwas fixed the tendon, but it would require a few days for it to finish healing even with a cybernetic implant to assist.

After a shower and the rest of the team was aboard the Normandy left Feros, and she called her team to the briefing room.

She was still walking with a bit of a limp but on her own. She took the empty chair to Kaidan's left, "Excellent work on Feros, everyone. It was bad there. We dropped down expecting just geth, but ended up with a really tough fight on our hands. We saved the colonists, and the colony, by working together. I want each of you to think about this fight. About the other race of alien that fought next to you today. Ask yourselves, did it matter when we were up against hordes of geth that the person to your right was blue? Or that the person to your left was a krogan?" She looked across the team, they glanced at each other but stayed silent. "This is an excellent team. If you ever doubt it, I want you to remember today. Because today was our first real battle against Saren. That little skirmish on Therum was nothing compared to this. Saren made a mistake by sending his Geth to Feros. If he hadn't, we never would have stumbled across the Thorian. And we wouldn't have gained the information we did. We are one step closer to catching him, to finding the Conduit." Shepard leaned back in her chair, "Does anyone have anything they want to say?"

Liara spoke up shyly, "Commander…you look, pale. Are you suffering any ill effects from the Cipher?"

"My brain has been scrambled like an egg," she said. "I'm a little shaken up, to say the least."

Liara looked nervous, even a bit anxious, "I might be able to help you. I am an expert on the Protheans. If I join my consciousness with yours maybe we can make some sense of it, together," Liara said, looking hopeful as she finished.

Shepard shook her head, "I appreciate the offer, Liara, but I just don't think I want to go through that again."

"It would be different," Liara assured her. "I wouldn't put anything there, I would only be taking information in to myself. It would be much easier on you this way."

Shepard stood up, "Alright, Liara. I trust you."

Liara stood up and met Shepard in the middle of the room. "Relax, Commander," Liara said softly, closing her eyes. When she opened her eyes were completely black, just as Shiala's had been. "Embrace eternity!"

Shepard tensed as the images passed through her, but it wasn't as shocking to her system as it had been with Shiala or with the Beacon.

Once it was broken Liara and Shepard backed away from each other, Liara taking a few deep breaths, "That was incredible! All this time! All my research! Yet I never dreamed…I'm sorry. The images were so vivid! I never imagined the experience would be so…intense!" Liara met Shepard's eyes, in more awe of her now than before, something she did not think possible. "You are remarkably strong willed, Commander. What you've been through, what you've seen, would have destroyed a lesser mind."

"Did you see anything?" Alenko asked, a bit impatient.

"The beacon on Eden Prime must have been badly damaged. Large parts of the vision are missing. The data transferred into the commander's mind is incomplete."

"Anything, Liara?" Shepard asked.

"I was able to interpret the data relayed through your vision. What was there, at least. But something was missing. Saren must have the missing information. Maybe he found another beacon. If we can find the missing data from your vision I can…" Liara swayed on her feet and Shepard grabbed her to steady her. "Whoa."

"Are you okay?" Shepard asked.

"I am sorry. The joining is exhausting. I should go to the medical bay and lie down for a moment," Liara said.

"Are you sure? I feel fine. No worse than before," Shepard said.

"Your role in our communion is passive. I am the one who must submerge myself in your mind. Drown myself in your thoughts. It was more difficult than it looks," Liara said. "You instinctively resist the joining, Commander. A strong personality like yours makes it even harder."

"Go, we're done. Dismissed," Shepard said.

Alenko dragged his feet until he and Shepard were alone in the briefing room, "You sure you're okay, Shepard?" he asked.

She let out a dry laugh, "I never thought I was an overly proud person, Alenko. But getting injured by a plant…that hurts."

He laughed, "We can say it was the geth warship," he suggested.

"Doctoring mission reports isn't my thing, but damn it's tempting," she said. "I do need to get that mission report started, though. See you around, Kaidan."

Shepard sent off the mission report, sorry to say it sounded more like a science fiction story than an actual report. The Council was going to love it, though. Blow a hole in a Prothean ruin, crash a geth ship on the ruins, destroy a sentient being and then burn its remains in the ruins. They had said, after all, to do whatever needed to be done to stop Saren.

She got some rest, her nightmares more vivid then ever, and if anything they were less clear. Shiala did say it would take time for her mind to process this information, but Shepard was afraid she was running out of time.

Alenko stood up as Shepard walked out of her quarters and into the mess, "Do you have some time to talk, Commander?"

She limped over to the mess station, "Yeah, just let me sit down." He waited until she fell into a chair at the table, poking at the food on her plate, "You know…now that I'm thinking about it, I really am not in the mood for vegetables."

Kaidan laughed, "I don't blame you, ma'am."

"What's on your mind, Kaidan?" she asked.

He took a deep breath, "Well, we've played it pretty close to the book so far. But we're a long way from backup," he started. "If we consider Feros as setting the mission tone…well, we've got some tough calls to make. I'm just saying…try to leave yourself a way out. I've seen what cutting corners can do to someone. And I'd hate to have that happen to you. I'm not questioning any decision you've made, Shepard. Let me be clear about that. It's just my experience that once someone lets something slide, it tends to pick up speed. You get my meaning?"

She searched his face, frowning a bit. Something was bothering him, and from her previous chats she knew it was going to take some prodding and a lot of listening to get to his point, "Talk to me, Kaidan. You've got a little black rain cloud sitting over your head."

The metaphor was cute, he thought, but she said it seriously. "I'll try to keep the deck dry, ma'am," he chuckled. The laugh died quickly and he sighed. "You know the records about the biotic training out on Jump Zero? They're all classified. Because the Alliance made mistakes. After first contact, Conatix was set up to track element zero exposures and develop implants for humans. Once we had an embassy on the Citadel, Conatix could bring in 'experts' instead of taking it slow. They brought in an ex-military turian named Commander Vyrnus. To introduce himself, he liked to say, 'I was at the helm of the dreadnought that killed your father.' I told him my dad wasn't in the war. He had retired to Vancouver. My family had an inland home that matured to new beachfront. Vyrnus had it in for me after that. He cut corners, pushed hard. I mean, you either came out a superman or a wreck. A lot of kids snapped. A few died," he said in a low voice. "The point of all this, I guess, is that when you cut corners, it's not always obvious who pays for it."

"Kaidan, I don't cut corners," she said. "I can't think of anything I've done that would make you think I do. Why are you telling me this? Is there something I can do to help you get over it?"

He shook his head, "I'm thirty-two, Shepard. You don't serve as long as I have without coming to terms with yourself." He looked at her, that fight with the Thorian had been a tough fight. And all that they had been through, their awkward teasing and glances across the deck…he was considering her a friend. "You also learn that if someone is special to you, you help them. Try to keep them from making mistakes."

Shepard smiled, "Special, huh?"

"If I'm out of line, just say the word," he said quickly.

"You're not out of line, Kaidan. But there are regs," she said sadly.

"I get you, Shepard," he nodded. "I don't make a habit of complicating the chain of command. Just…think about what I said."

She nodded, knowing she was going to think on that for a long time. "Hey…I never got to mention, nice biotic work today."

"Oh…that's what I do," he said casually.

"You probably saved me from breaking my neck falling," she said. "It still wasn't pleasant…but I'd rather be limping around than having Chakwas try to repair my spinal cord. Just…I thought it was very impressive."

"Thank you, Commander."

She got up from the table and touched his shoulder, "You are welcome, Lieutenant."

She argued with herself silently as she went up to the stairs to the command deck. What the hell was she doing? Why the hell didn't she tell him he was out of line.

Because she adored him.

It was wrong. It was pointless to even humor the thought of any sort of relationship. There was a reason relationships among crew were forbidden, humans were emotional beings. It's hard to fight next to someone if they are more than a friend. You begin to worry about their safety, ignore protocol to ensure they are protected. Flirting…it was expected. You mix enough people together and attraction could happen, but it couldn't go further than that. She should have told him that yes, it was out of line.

She told herself Kaidan probably knew every Alliance rule in the book, in fact she was pretty sure he did. He knew, he understood. She just had to be careful, not let it go beyond the friendly flirting she found acceptable. Maybe, after the mission, during shore leave they could try something. No, she told herself, he wouldn't be interested in that.

Shepard limped to the cockpit, Joker had the Normandy drifting, listening to comm. traffic. "Hey, Commander," he said before she got close enough for him to see her.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Could tell by your walk," he chuckled, turning his neck to look at her. "Big bad Alliance hero meets her match with a plant."

She frowned at him, "I just hobbled my ass up here to make sure you were alright after having the ship hammered on by mind-controlled colonists…but you know what, I don't even care."

He laughed, "Aw, don't be like that, Commander. Hey, is it against regs for me to get a potted plant? You know, something to liven up my personal space?"

Shepard started limping away, "You are lucky I can't replace a pilot as good as you," she called back to him.

Shepard made her way into the med bay, "Hey, Doc. How is Liara?"

"Just woke up a few minutes ago," Chakwas said. "She's in the backroom."

"Thanks," Shepard said, her limp becoming a bit more pronounced now that she had gone back and forth on the ship. Chakwas noticed and frowned, but kept quiet.

"Are you coming to check up on me?" Liara asked, standing up.

"Yeah," Shepard admitted. "My brain wants to explode with all this extra information. I know asari's are a bit more advanced, but…still can't be easy."

Liara smiled, "I feel much better. Thank you, Commander."

Shepard pulled out a chair and sat down, putting her injured leg up, "I'm glad no one else got hurt."

"Is it…painful?" Liara asked.

"Not that bad," Shepard said. "Chakwas wants me to stay off my feet as much as possible while it heals. Drives me crazy sitting still."

Liara smiled, making a mental note to remember that trait about Shepard.

"Was wondering if you wanted to continue talking about your interests in the Protheans. Maybe we can try to shed some light on this Cipher."

Liara looked a bit nervous, "Actually…I think I was talking about my interest in you. And making a fool of myself in the process. As I said, I am not used to dealing with people. Especially humans. I did not really know much about your species when we first met, Shepard. I found it hard to take humanity seriously. Your kind always seemed rushed and high-strung."

"Oh," Shepard said. Liara considered _humans_ high-strung? "Well, has your opinion changed at all?"

"Oh, it has!" Liara said eagerly. "I have been watching you and your crew. It has taught me a lot about your species. You humans are creatures of action. You pursue your goals with an almost indomitable determination. It is an admirable trait, but also an intimidating one."

Shepard laughed, "You can't argue with results."

"No, but there are consequences. Unfortunately, the rest of the galaxy sees humanity as a bully. You run over anyone who gets in your way," Liara said seriously. "It is up to you to change their minds, Shepard."

"Me?" Shepard cocked an eyebrow.

"There is a reason the Council chose you to become a Spectre. They saw something special in you—the best of what humanity has to offer. I looked into your history. I know what you did during the Blitz. It was a remarkable display of courage and heroism."

Shepard was used to humans knowing of her, the Blitz was always the first thing people said once they realized who she was. Being followed by that battle wasn't a burden to her, she accepted that it had advanced her career much faster than anything else would have. Aliens, on the other hand, typically didn't pay much attention to human news. And that Liara was researching her was…well, Shepard wasn't sure what it was. "You could have just asked me, Liara."

"I was…afraid I would say something stupid again. I wanted to know more about you. To understand what made you into the woman you are today. There is something compelling about you, Shepard."

Shepard nodded, "Sure, like you said…I've been touched by working Prothean technology. With your field of expertise of course you are curious. But now that you know what is in my head."

"I admit, your connection to the Protheans had something to do with my initial interest. But it has grown beyond that," Liara said, and smiled slightly. "You intrigue me, Shepard. But I was not sure if it was appropriate to act on my feelings. I thought there might already be a relationship between you and Lieutenant Alenko."

"Um…" Shepard looked away, then back at Liara, not sure if she heard anything correctly. "Liara…you are a woman."

Liara tilted her head, "Not exactly true, Commander. Asari are mono-gendered, male and female really have no meaning to us. I suppose we are nurturers, we fill a motherly role which is why many consider us women. It does not bother us, but it isn't a true classification."

"Um…I'm sorry, Liara," Shepard said, uncomfortable and embarrassed.

Liara looked down, "I understand…you prefer the lieutenant, then?"

Shepard grimaced, but spoke honestly. "Liara…I care about Kaidan. A lot."

Liara nodded, "I thought so. He tried to tell me differently, but…there just seems to be a connection between the two of you…though you don't seem to act on it. It's confusing."

"It's…complicated," Shepard said. "There are regulations in the Alliance. They don't want relationships between soldiers, especially when the commanding officer is involved. It makes leading in battle complicated."

Liara thought about it, "Yes, I could see that being difficult. But since you are a Spectre, would this not be considered a Council ship…no longer under those same regulations?"

Shepard shook her head, "Still an Alliance ship. Kaidan is an Alliance Lieutenant. And I am still an Alliance Commander."

"Hm, you humans make things so complicated," Liara muttered. "Um…Commander, I am trying to do what you suggested before, about being embarrassed. I am still horribly embarrassed…perhaps you would not speak to anyone about this?"

Shepard put her hand up, "Relax, Liara, this is just between us. As friends with a mix of a culture crash thrown in. It's not a big deal."

"If I can convince myself of that, I would be happy," Liara said.

Shepard limped back to her quarters. Poor Liara. Sweet confused girl. Attracted to her? Shepard let it go, which was easy because as soon as she closed her eyes the visions played in her mind for her. She watched them, tried to focus on them, to get the Cipher to kick in and make it make sense. Didn't work, but it gave her something else to think about.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24 – Geth Outpost**

"Geth signal found," Joker called through the intercom, waking Shepard up. "Commander, did you get that?"

"On my way," she said, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Other than a few leftover bruises she was in good condition once again, Feros had been nearly a week ago. It barely felt like they had been chasing leads on Saren for three weeks.

Tali was already in the cockpit when Shepard reached it. "We've detected three stations, all within twenty-five clicks of each other," Tali announced.

Shepard looked at the reports, "Looks like a jump off spot."

"That's what I was thinking," Tali said anxiously. "A temporary base, refuel and repair without having to retreat all the way back into the Veil."

"We can't let them have any foothold," Shepard said. "Call everyone to suit up."

They dropped down in the Mako. Shepard and Alenko working together to navigate the mountainous terrain while Wrex took control of the Mako's weapon system.

"Got something in my sights," Wrex rumbled.

"Right up there," Shepard pointed. "Tali, what do you make of it?"

"That's not a refueling station," Tali said. "They are making more geth there."

"See any actual geth, Wrex?" Shepard asked.

"Lots of small dots, we're too far away," he said.

"Take us forward slowly," Shepard said to Alenko.

"Aye, aye," he said, the Mako rolling forward gently.

"I see something…" Wrex said. "Shit, incoming!" The Mako rocked as they were hit. "Defensive turrets, they're firing missiles."

"Can you line up a shot?" Shepard asked, gripping the dash of the Mako as it rocked again. "Shields down to fifty."

Right above them came the sound of rapid fire as Wrex fired the Mako's main gun, and a pop as a grenade was launched. His roaring laughter after the turret exploded was the loudest thing they had heard since the short attack.

"Damn, indoor voice, Wrex," Ashley complained, covering her ears but unable to hide the smile on her lips.

Wrex worked on taking out the few dozen geth troops before the Mako got closer to the station. Shepard left the Mako with Tali, setting down some explosives. Once they were a kilometer away the detonated it.

They anticipated the defensive turrets at the next station, taking it out quicker, and then repeating their actions on that station.

"Tali, what the hell is that?" Shepard asked as they got sight of the final station. "That's different."

"Yes, it is. It's an outpost," Tali said. "They could actually be refitting new geth in that one."

The outpost was a large building, few stories tall and unable to tell how deep it went into the mountain. "Check out the emblem on the side, this used to be an Eclipse mercenary base. At least the geth are indiscriminate in their hate for organics, kill the good guys and the bad ones altogether," Shepard said.

There were a few dead mercenaries on the ground outside, from the looks of them the Geth had been getting settled on this planet for the past week.

"Alright, we're fighting an unknown number of geth in tight quarters. We don't have enough ordinance to blow this building like the other stations so we need to take out everything that moves, and destroy anything that might make more of them. We're going to take it level by level."

At the entrance it took them half an hour to destroy all the geth guarding. There were two levels going up, and two more below the ground. "Alenko, take Wrex and Tali and go down. Williams, I want you watching this level, available for backup for either team once we see how the other levels are. Liara and Garrus, come with me."

The other levels were scarce, only a few geth had been left to guard supplies.

"My levels are clear," Shepard said through the radio. "Alenko, how are you doing?"

"Only a little resistance. Tali is looking over what they had in here."

"They were uploading more geth," Tali said. "I can disable it, but it would be better if we can destroy them fully. Nothing large, a grenade would make it irreparable."

"Make it happen," Shepard said. "We'll be down in a few minutes, I'm looking over some things myself." Liara and Garrus watched Shepard access a terminal and copy data. Next she aimed to assault rifle and tore the terminal apart.

"We're all clear?" Ashley asked as the two teams reappeared.

"Planet is clear. They'll have to work if they want to set it up again," Tali said.

"I found some information on their terminal," Shepard said. "All encrypted, but we can send it off and get someone working to decrypt it."

"You think it may be attack plans?" Garrus asked.

"No. From what I can tell it seems like the upper levels were control center for what they were making in the lower levels. I think it's a recipe for making a geth."

Tali looked at Shepard, "What…if it is, what do you plan to do with it?"

"The information would be valuable," Shepard said. "You learn how something is made, you know exactly where to hit it to kill it. You learn where the heart of a turian is, you'll always know where your target is."

"Hey…" Garrus spun his neck so he could look at her.

"Well of course I don't mean you," Shepard said. "Just using an example. If we can understand geth thought, software and hardware…well, we may find better ways to combat their threat. I'm sorry if it sounded like I wanted to use it to make my own. Tali, how many times have I said I hated those synthetic bastards?"

Tali nodded, "Sorry…just…well, I know you understand my concerns with the geth, Commander."

Shepard held a short briefing, and Tali stayed in her seat as the rest of the crew left. "Commander…that geth data you retrieved. I was hoping you would make a copy for me."

It was Shepard's turn to be suspicious, "Tali…why do you want this data?"

"Same reason you want it," Tali said. "And all my own at the same time. It has been three hundred years since the geth exiled my people. That data is their current information. We would be able to see how they evolved and changed since then. That information may be something that allows us to retake our home world."

"This would…be the end of you Pilgrimage, then?" Shepard asked.

"My Pilgrimage cannot end until after we have stopped Saren," Tali said firmly. "But yes, when I do finally return to the Flotilla this information would make a suitable gift."

"Tali, the moment I got this information it became classified Alliance data. I…" Tali's shoulders sank and she made a strange noise, "Uh…Tali. I understand how important this data is, but if someone found out I gave this information away they could use it to court martial me."

"I understand, Commander…"

"Sit down," Shepard said, putting a hand on Tali's shoulder and leading her to a chair. She sat next to her, "I'm going to make you a copy on an OSD. You can't send it over the extranet. This has to stay between us."

"You…oh, thank you," Tali said, perking up. "I…I give you my word, that I will only share it with others when I am back at the Flotilla. I don't want you to get in trouble for this, if I had known that was a possibility I wouldn't have suggested it and…"

Shepard put her hand up, "I know, Tali. If anyone questions you we'll just tell them you gained the information on your own and shared it with us."

"Thank you, Shepard. This means…more to me than I can put into words."


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25 – Disturbing Mission**

Shepard was working in the engineering deck on the team's armor. She was beginning to refit them with stronger shields and she was working with Wrex on his. "So why did you become a mercenary?"

"Lots of reasons," he rumbled.

"Such as?" Shepard pressed.

"Such as…I needed to get out of our system. I needed to eat. I needed to survive."

"Before it seemed like you had an understanding that your people needed help," Shepard said. "Why not stay and help them?"

"I tried to help. That's why I had to leave," he said, his voice lower. Regretful.

She looked up from her work, "What happened?"

"I was betrayed," he said. "I was head of a small tribe. We were trying to restore order after the war, but the other tribes were against us. They followed Jarrod, one of the few warlords who survived the war with the turians. But he was old, and so were his ideas. He wanted to continue the war. He wanted us to fight turians, salarians, each other. It didn't matter who as long as we were fighting."

"What did you want?" Shepard asked.

"I just wanted Jarrod to shut up. To stop his ranting. I wanted him to stop leading the tribes astray. But he couldn't understand how much things had changed. We didn't have the numbers to go to war. Even if we did, the genophage made sure we couldn't replenish our numbers fast enough. I told them all to forget about war. We needed to focus on breeding. At least for one generation. And for a while, we were getting through. Some of the tribes started coming around."

"I assume Jarrod didn't appreciate that?" Shepard said.

"No. He didn't. He arranged a Crush with the tribes. A meeting on neutral ground. He wanted to talk. We met at the Hollows, near the graves of our ancestors. The skulls of our dead laid bare to remind us where we come from and where we all go. It's as sacred as any krogan place can be. Violence is forbidden."

Shepard finished Wrex's armor and leaned back so he could take it, it weighed three times as much as her and she didn't want to attempt lifting it again. "Sounds like a trap to me."

"I suspected as much," Wrex rumbled, lifting the armor easily and inspecting it. "But when your father invites you to a Crush…well, there are some laws even we hold sacred."

"Wait, Jarrod was your father?"

"He was. Until that day. We talked. But we didn't get anywhere. When it was clear that I wouldn't join him, he gave the signal. His men leapt from the graves of our ancestors like krogan undead!" he said, and for the first time Shepard detected his rage. He was furious with the memory. A controlled anger, which only made her more aware of just how strong willed her teammate was. "The few that were loyal to me died quickly. I escaped with my life. But not before I sank my dagger deep into my father's chest. That…is why I left. And that's why I'll never go back."

"That's…unbelievable," she muttered. "But I suppose when you live as long as a krogan it must be nearly impossible to change your ways. Even when what you were saying was the smart way to go."

Wrex chuckled, any anger he had before gone, "Krogan and smarts."

Shepard smirked, "What about other family, other than Jarrod. Don't you miss them?"

"You trying to make me cry, Shepard?" Wrex said, his toad-like mouth turning in a bit of a smile.

Shepard was surprised though, "Krogan can cry?"

Wrex chuckled, but didn't answer her question. "I've got some unfinished business with my family. But that's all."

"What kind of business?" Shepard asked, half expecting that he had a sister or uncle he wanted to kill if he got the chance.

And Wrex sighed, an uncommon gesture for him. In fact, before then, she thought impossible for him. "Before I left, I made an oath to my father's father. I swore to recover my family's battle armor. It was taken from him after the uprising. It's a relic, useless, really. But it was worn by five generations of my family before the war. It's rightfully mine. It was originally taken by the turian military. We weren't allowed armor or weapons after the war. Now, it's in the hands of Tonn Actus. A turian scum who collects relics from the war. He's made millions selling krogan artifacts that were stolen from my people. I was tracking him down in my spare time before I met you."

"Were you getting close?" Shepard asked.

"I think so, yeah. After I finished Fist I was going to check something out. Uncharted planet, mercenary base."

"If we get close to it, let us know. If we don't come across any geth we can drop down and check it out."

He looked her over, "What's your angle in all of this?"

"I don't have one," Shepard said. "You are giving me your services at no cost, you've followed my orders…if I can help you out with this, I will. The mission is still going to come first, but we are finding a lot more nothing than something."

Wrex was quiet as he thought about it, "Alright. I'll give you the information I've found so far."

Wrex believed the base to be in Argos Rho cluster, Phoenix system. They weren't close to it now, but if Saren kept his head down they may get that far searching for more geth outposts.

Shepard didn't have much time to look at their route to see when they would be moving on to that cluster, when she got to the CIC to examine the galaxy map Joker called her on the intercom, "Commander, we've got an Alliance distress beacon activated on Edolus."

"We're practically on top of that planet, why didn't we get it sooner?" Shepard asked.

"My guess, must be damaged. We would have missed it ourselves if we weren't looking for geth outposts," Joker said.

"Williams and Alenko, we're dropping down," Shepard ordered.

"Sure you don't want us to come with you, Shepard?" Garrus asked, meaning the aliens.

"This is Alliance business," Shepard said.

Alenko took them slowly to the distress beacon, Shepard looking through the weapon's systems sights. "I see a rover, it's been turned over, destroyed. Bodies, no movement," she said quietly.

"We're too late," Williams said.

"We need to move in, disable that beacon and find out what unit they are, we'll get someone from the fifth fleet out here to claim the bodies," Shepard said.

Shepard watched out the windshield as they got closer, and gripped her seat as the earth began to rumble below them. "Stop!"

Alenko hit the breaks, "Earthquake?"

Before Shepard could say anything a thresher maw burst through the ground. Thresher maws are subterranean carnivores, enormous and violent creatures, and very territorial. This one was about twenty meters out of the ground, and two times that was anchoring it underground.

"BACK!" Shepard ordered, and Alenko began moving the Mako in reverse.

Thresher maws were one of the most dangerous life forms in the galaxy. Mindless, living only to eat. But they could survive on otherwise uninhabitable planets. They were monsters, but reproduced by tiny spores. Galactic travel and exploration has led to them being found all across the Milky Way. They spit viscous acid at a distance, and at close range they had strong and powerful claws for teeth.

Shepard took aim with the weapon system, shooting at the maw with a mix of grenades and bullets.

"We're hit!" Williams shouted as acid splashed the Mako. "Shields are up but our hull integrity is weakening.

The maw disappeared underground, and Williams let out a breath.

"Drive," Shepard ordered. "Floor it, now."

Alenko did as he was told, and no sooner had they gained some distance from the nest the thresher maw emerged where the Mako had been just seconds ago. Shepard sent three more grenades at it, and there was a horrible screech and the thresher fell.

"Is it dead?" Williams asked.

"It's not smart enough to pretend," Alenko said.

They got back to the distress beacon. Shepard deactivated the beacon while Alenko and Williams checked the wreckage.

"These men were under Rear Admiral Kahoku," Alenko said.

Shepard examined the beacon, "This thing was here long before them. Someone planted it. Luring them right into this damn nest."

"You think mercenaries or pirates?" Williams asked.

"I don't know," Shepard said. "Let's get out of here."

She had some crewmembers working on repairing the Mako while she made a secure call to the Citadel.

"Admiral Kahoku, this is Commander Shepard of the Normandy. I'm afraid that I found your men," she said, and let him know the situation they were found in.

"I knew they were dead," he said in a low voice, "But…I can't believe it was like that. Thank you, Commander."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26 – Wrex's Mission & Chatting w/ Ashley**

That next week, four weeks since Eden Prime, they found a few more geth outposts, not nearly as prepared as the first one. And then she called Wrex down to the cargo hold. "Wrex, I told you if we got to this system and we had nowhere else to be, we'd go get your family's armor."

"Why do you want to do this, Shepard?"

"It's important to you," she said. "Wrex, I normally do not like krogan. The few I meet usually try to kill me. Maybe they are young and foolish, and you are just old and wise. But, ultimately you have become my ally, and I'm going to help you out. However we're keeping this off the mission reports and the rest of the crew thinks we're just going to scout the mercenary base we found."

Wrex chuckled, "I normally don't like humans, Shepard. But you are alright."

They dropped in the Mako, and made their way to the base on the planet. It was Blue Suns, a group that mainly hired turians and batarians, but there were a few humans, too. It was guarded, but not heavily. Between her and Wrex and the Mako they had the outside of the base cleared in a few minutes.

Inside the base was more heavily guarded. Blue Suns were often a well trained group, many of its members former military. Wrex had no problem barging in, spraying them with bullets while laughing, taking a few hits to his armor and going toe-to-toe with the mercenaries. While Wrex had his fun, Shepard used cover to carefully work her way through them. Wrex didn't fight stupid, but he often held back and listened to Shepard's tactics before. Now, he was letting himself go. Letting his bloodlust take over, and enjoying it.

"Ugh, this place is already starting to smell," Shepard said, wrinkling her nose.

"I am going to search…see if my family's armor is still here," Wrex said. "You can wait outside."

"I am so going to do that," she agreed.

It took Wrex twenty minutes, but he came out with a crate over his back. He shoved it into the Mako, and got in next to Shepard. "Thank you."

She smiled, "If anything that had let you get rid of any frustration you had built up."

He chuckled, "That was nothing. You should see me when I really get into it."

"Oh…kay," she said, and radioed Joker to pick them up.

"Shepard, my people once valued courage, strength, and honor in battle. After the war, most would rather die in battle than rebuild our society. They were reduced to glorifying pointless violence. You would have been a great krogan."

Shepard looked at him, it took her a moment to realize that had been a compliment.

Once back on the Normandy she looked at the armor Wrex pulled out of the crate. Like he had said, it was a relic. But she could understand sentimental value of things, the importance of family heirlooms.

"That is the ugliest thing I have ever seen," she said.

Wrex chuckled, "Maybe. But it is mine. Thank you, friend."

Wrex grabbed her forearm in a handshake, then walked away.

It had only been a day since Shepard had helped Wrex, she had just finished looking at the geth data with Tali, seeing if they could make some progress. Tali was hoping with a little more work she may figure a way to hack into the geth, of only temporarily. Before that she and Liara were working with the Prothean visions in their heads. She was, overall, concerned about the mission and just wanted to forget about it temporarily.

"Hey, Ash, you have a few minutes?" Shepard said.

Williams turned, "Oh, sure. I was just watching some mail from home."

From the terminal Ashley was working on there was a voice, "Oh, before I go! We saw Kaidan in a news vid about the Normandy. He's cute. Later, sis."

Ashley let out a nervous laugh, "Let's, uh…pretend that never happened."

Shepard laughed, "Afraid the damage is done, Williams."

"Oh, shoot me now," Ashley muttered, her cheeks turning pink.

"Your sister, I assume?"

"Until I get home and kill her," Ashley said tensely. "That's Sarah, the youngest. But you didn't stop by to eavesdrop on family mail. What's up?"

"Nothing," Shepard said. "Just needed a break, I guess. Your family seems to be important to you."

"Yeah, we've always been close. Me and my sisters, especially. With Dad on duty so much, I had to help Mom raise them."

"More than one sister?"

"Yeah, I'm the oldest. Then Abby, then Lynn. Sarah's the youngest. She's still in high school. With four girls Dad used to say he felt more outnumbered at home than on maneuvers."

"You are lucky to have a close family," Shepard said.

"Sorry!" Williams said quickly. "I forgot about your…situation."

"Or lack thereof. Relax, Williams," Shepard said. "If you really think about it I had over thirty brothers and sisters at any time. Just most of us were never all that close."

"Ask me to clear a bunker of armed hostiles, no problem. Dealing with the foot in my mouth? Not so good with that," Ashley laughed. "You still talk to any of them?"

Shepard shook her head, then stopped, "Well, not any of the kids. Not really. Every now and then someone sends a message. Something like 'Hey, remember me?' and some random reason they have for contacting me. There were a handful of adults, caregivers, that ran the orphanage. Doris was one of them. Whenever I'm on Earth I always stop in, check on her. She was always old to me, but she is getting close to a century now. Still runs the orphanage, takes more kids than she can handle."

"So you two were pretty close?"

"Actually, no," Shepard laughed. "I could not stand her. But, after joining the Alliance, my first break I went back to Earth and stopped in. See some kids that were still there, try and find other friends that had moved already. I ended up sitting down and talking to her for hours. My whole life I felt like she was some sort of dictator, just there to ride my ass and I could not wait to get away from her. But, found out she wasn't all that bad."

"Is she what made you join the Alliance?"

"Um, I'm not sure," Shepard said. "Doris wasn't a miracle worker, there are a lot of kids that never became more than petty criminals after they left. But, every time I go back to Earth, after a three month patrol or a six month cruise, whatever, I always stop in to say hi. We sit, drink crappy coffee, and talk. She's the only person back on Earth I make an effort to keep in touch with. Just something to remind me what I'm fighting for out here."

"Well, she did something right by you," Ashley said. "I think everything that happens in our lives molds us into who we become. I imagine if you didn't have someone riding your ass when you were a kid you may not have made it here. And we'd be pretty well screwed if that was the case."

Shepard shrugged, "I won't disagree with that but hell if I know. I don't have any miraculous story that made me. Just after being with the Alliance, everything sort of clicked into place. I can't imagine being anything but a soldier anymore."

"I hear that," Ashley said. "Well, I should get back to my duties. Rifles don't maintain themselves…at least not yet. Talk to you later, Commander."


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27 – Helping Garrus**

"Commander, could I have a minute of your time?" Garrus called.

"Of course," she said, catching a glimpse at the terminal he was working on before he closed it down.

"What we saw on Feros…weird as hell," he said. "Made me think about a case I worked with a year or so back, while I was in C-sec. There was this salarian geneticist I was sent to investigate. I was tracking black market trade on the Citadel. Most of it's harmless. But I noticed an increase in the trade of body parts. Organs, mostly. We usually get a few of those, but not the numbers I was seeing. We weren't sure if there was a new black market lab or if some freak was harvesting organs from citizens."

"You've seen organs on the market before?" Shepard asked, unable to hide her disgust.

"Every so often, some lab sells unwanted parts through the black market. But they're not as bad as the psychos. I remember this one elcor diplomat we caught in my first year on the job. He was hacking people up and selling their organs. Had the station in a bit of a panic. But this case wasn't that clear cut. Turns out there was more going on than we first realized."

"How did you figure it out?" Shepard asked.

"First, we got a hold of a sample and ran DNA tests. The weird thing was, the match led us to a turian who was still alive and was very convinced he'd never lost his liver. After a bit of digging, I discovered this turian worked briefly for Dr. Saleon, the salarian geneticist. So I went to his lab, hoping to find evidence of cloned organ development. But there was nothing. No salarian hearts, no turian livers, not one krogan testicle."

Shepard laughed, "Ah. So this was a joke?"

"No, no joke," he said seriously.

"Why would anyone want a krogan testicle?" Shepard asked.

"Oh…well some krogan believe that testicle transplants can increase their virility. Counteract the effects of the genophage. It doesn't work, but that doesn't stop them from buying. They'll pay up to ten-thousand credits each. That's forty-thousand for a full set." Shepard searched Garrus's face, looking for a sign that he was messing with her. However, the turian only continued his story in the same serious tone. "Anyways, I brought in some of Dr. Saleon's employees for interrogation. To see if I could get them to talk. While I was interviewing one of them, I came across something suspicious. One of them started bleeding profusely during the interview. We offered to patch him up and he got frantic. Freaked out. I ordered a full exam, to find out what was going on. Our medics found incisions all over his body. Some of them fresh. It was our big break. These people weren't just Dr. Saleon's employees. They were test tubes. Walking, living test tubes," Garrus said, his tone turning to disgust.

"That's…that is disturbing," Shepard said. "So he was growing these spare parts in his own employees?"

"Exactly. He cloned their organs right inside their own bodies. Then he harvested them and sold them off. Most of the victims were poor. He'd pay them each a small percentage of the sales, but only if the organs were good. Sometimes the organs didn't grow properly, so he'd just leave it in them. Most of them were a mess, but only on the inside. Worst part is, we never caught him."

"What the hell happened?" Shepard asked.

"He ran. Blew his lab, grabbed some of his employees, and headed for the nearest space dock. By the time I found out, his ship was already leaving. He threatened to kill his hostages if we tried to stop him. I ordered Citadel defense to shoot him down, but C-sec headquarters countermanded my order. They were worried about the hostages. Worried about civilian casualties if the ship was destroyed so close to the Citadel. I told them those hostages were dead anyway. He'd just use them to make more organs. But they wouldn't listen."

"Come on, Garrus," Shepard said. "I know it hurts like hell to lose a target, but any chance at saving civilian life takes priority."

He sighed, "I know. But this…this investigation had really gotten under my skin. Made me sick. After that, I almost quit C-sec. I just wanted to stop that bastard."

"We are servicemen," Shepard said. "It is our job to protect civilians, with our own lives if necessary. Do you really think arresting Dr. Saleon is worth even one innocent life?"

"What about all the lives he took with his work? All the lives he may have taken since he escaped?"

"Those are by his hand, and completely his fault. If you had shot down his ship and it crashed in the Ward, easily hundreds, if not thousands, would have died. And those would have been on you."

Garrus looked at her, his small electric blue eyes studying her face a few moments before looking down, ashamed, "You're right."

"I know how it is," She said quietly. "You see something so horrible, the worst kind of people so often…it's hard not to control yourself. It's hard to remember that there is a reason we pick up a rifle and do this. But once we forget what we fight for, the reason we joined the service, that's when it gets dangerous."

Garrus flexed his mandibles in thought, and nodded, "You're right," he said again.

"So, were you just telling me this to vent, or were you going somewhere with this?"

"When he got away, I never truly got over it. I put out feelers from time to time, trying to find him. He changed his ship, changed his name. To Dr. Heart, his idea of a joke, I guess. I just got some news from an old contact, he may have found him. I got the transponder frequency for his new ship, but it's out here in the Traverse. No one is going to check it out. We aren't too far off. I know we have a mission, and I know it's much more important than running down this lead."

She nodded, "Give me the information, I'll look and see if we can check it out."

"Thank you, Commander," he said.

"But if it is him, we arrest him," she said after getting the information.

"Commander…he is a monster. He is supposed to help people…instead he…"

"Is sick and twisted, I know," she said. "But I don't do executions. If it's him, we arrest him and take him back to the Citadel."

Garrus nodded silently.

The next day Shepard called Garrus to the CIC, "Garrus, we've found the MSV Fedele. We're going to contact it and dock. You are going to come with me to see if it's him."

"If it is him, he's going to run as soon as we get close," Garrus said.

"It's a freighter, Garrus. If it wants to try, I think we can handle it," Shepard said.

Shepard got on the radio, "Attention MSV Fedele, this is SSV Normandy, under Spectre command."

There was no resistance or attempt to flee. They waited patiently for the airlock to finish adjusting the pressure, and stepped onto the ship. They only made it a few steps before two mercenaries got out of cover and began shooting.

Shepard and Garrus each went one way for cover, "Not the friendly welcome you were expecting?" Garrus mused.

"You know, for a minute there I was hoping this was going to be quick and easy. Glad I didn't expect it," she said, checking her assault rifle. She waited to hear a pause in shooting, got out of cover and fired her rifle.

There had been a few dozen mercenaries of no particular affiliation. They fought through them, eventually getting to the back of the ship.

There was a salarian there, cowering slightly. "Thank you," he said. "Thank you for saving me from those men."

"That's him, Commander," Garrus said, his grip on his pistol tightening. "That's Dr. Saleon.

"What? My name is Heart!" the salarian said quickly. "Dr. Heart. Please…I…I've been held captive by those mercenaries…"

"From the looks of it, seems they were here protecting you," Shepard countered. "Garrus, are you positive?"

"Oh yes," Garrus said. "There is no escape this time, Doctor. I'd harvest your organs first, but we don't have the time."

"You're crazy! He's crazy! Please, don't let him do this to me!" Heart begged.

"We'll take him in. Drop him off with the military," Shepard said. "C-sec can confirm his identity when he gets there."

"We have him, Shepard. I can't let him get away. Not again," Garrus said.

"He's not getting away, Garrus. If he dies we won't know what he's been up to, or how he did it. We take him in, interrogate him, and he'll serve his time."

"Okay," Garrus said, lowering his pistol. "You're a _very_ lucky salarian. You owe the commander your life."

"Oh! Thank you so very much!" Dr. Heart said sarcastically, pulling a pistol from behind his back.

Garrus stumbled back as a few rounds hit his shields. Shepard took three shots, and Dr. Heart/Saleon fell.

Garrus checked, the salarian was dead. "And so he dies anyway. What was the point of that?" he asked angrily.

"You can't predict how people will act, Garrus. But you can control how you'll respond, in the end that's what really matters," Shepard said.

Garrus flexed his mandibles, then nodded, "I don't think I've ever met anyone like you, Commander."

After wrapping it up, making the call to arrange the ship to be taken to Council Space and Dr. Heart to be identified, Garrus found Shepard. "Commander, thanks."

"I wish all our missions were that short," Shepard said. "And satisfying. It's good to know he can't keep butchering people."

"Yes, it is. But…I was referring to something different. I know you, uh…tweaked my armor. If it wasn't for those new shields those shots probably would have gone through."

"Just doing what I can to keep my crew alive," Shepard said.

"And…I just want to say, you've become more than just a commander. You've become a friend. I'm not an expert on humans, far from it. I know enough about your species to know that you are unique. I've learned a lot from you the past few weeks, even a bit about myself, too. No matter how things turn out, I have no regrets about joining."

"You are a good person, Garrus. All I did was help remind you of that."

"Either way, thanks."


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28 - Cerberus**

Shepard was sitting down for lunch with Kaidan and Ashley a few days later, hitting week five of their mission. "Have you and Dr. T'Soni made any progress with the Cipher?" Alenko asked.

"Geth chatter makes more sense than this crap in my head," Shepard said. "I just think that…"

"Commander, you have an urgent incoming message from Admiral Kahoku," Joker said.

"I'll take it in my quarters," Shepard said.

"Commander Shepard, I'm glad you were available to take my call," Kahoku said urgently. "I don't have much time. While looking into who lured my men into that thresher maw nest I got stonewalled. I went to the Shadow Broker, bought the information. Turns out the group responsible for that trap was a rogue black ops organization, former Alliance, called Cerberus. They are a pro-humanity terrorist group. There is a research base, I'm sending you the coordinates. They are after me now, Shepard. I know too much. I can't get anyone else to help me."

"I got the information," Shepard said, looking at her terminal. "This is…I know this is important sir, but I…" she stopped herself, Cerberus was luring marines to a horrible death. While she was looking for geth outposts or signs of Saren she had already done two unrelated missions for her crew, this was much more important. "If I can get there, I will. Be careful, sir."

Shepard called Williams and Alenko into her quarters for a private talk, and told them about Cerberus.

"We have to take them down," Williams said.

"Can we do this without it affecting our prime mission?" Alenko asked.

"Check the date, Alenko. We don't know where Saren is or what he's doing right now. We're searching the whole damn galaxy now as it is, why not scoot over to this cluster and hit two birds with one stone?" Ashley said.

"Stopping Saren is still taking priority, no doubt about that. But this isn't going to be easy on its own," Shepard said. "Black ops training, former Alliance soldiers. Normally if we were responding to an Alliance interest you two would be the only ones I'd take, but we may need Garrus and Wrex's experience."

"What about Liara and Tali?" Kaidan asked.

"They aren't soldiers. Tali is here for the geth, Liara is here for her expertise on the Protheans. Both of them have extraordinary abilities…but ultimately the information they can give us is more valuable," she said. "I can't risk them on something not associated like this."

"We're behind you, Commander," Kaidan said.

Shepard ordered Joker to take them to the coordinates provided by Kahoku. Little was known about the planet, uncharted, unsettled, possibly even unstable. But on the way there they found a geth signal.

Shepard's face was hard as she thought about the two situations. Geth outpost, dangerous and related to the mission. Every time they took out an outpost they gained a little more information, so far nothing that took them somewhere, but just knowing where they were setting up may prove useful in the future. But Cerberus…much smaller and less urgent target had done something so despicable that Shepard had difficulty choosing.

"Take us to the geth outpost, Joker," Shepard said. They had to clear it out, the sooner the better. It prevented them from getting a larger force, and the possibility of catching Saren's trail was too important.

It delayed them four hours, but once back on the Normandy Joker continued the original course to the Cerberus base. The geth outpost had given them nothing new, nothing remotely important.

Once Shepard and her four team members reached the Cerberus base, they were expected. There was heavy resistance, and she was glad to have Garrus and Wrex along to assist.

Inside the lab they found something more disturbing. The spikes the geth used on Eden Prime to turn their dead against them, the spikes had gone on to be called Dragon's Teeth and the infected dead called husks, had been used. Shepard hadn't seen them since Eden Prime. Several of the spikes outside, only a few of the husks outside. But inside the lab there were several dried out human corpses wandering around mindlessly, blue circuitry showing under their pale blood-less skin.

"Commander," Alenko called softly after the husks were disposed of. He was kneeling next to a fresh body, and had read the dog tags. "It's Kahoku."

Shepard checked for a pulse, knowing there wouldn't be one. His body was still warm, they had only been minutes, at most an hour, late. If she hadn't stopped for that damned geth outpost…he would have still been alive, or not yet at the base. They threw him in with the husks, let them beat and pull at him until they finally killed him.

Shepard called Alliance control, they'd send someone to retrieve the body and examine the base. Shepard had taken Cerberus information, what little was there. She guessed as soon as they found out someone was coming they fried their systems.

"You okay?" Alenko asked quietly after the team was back on the Normandy. Shepard was hunched over the mess table, the data pad with the finished report at her elbow and a bitter look on her pretty face.

"Just wish we had gotten their sooner," she said softly. "That's always the case, though. If we had gotten to Eden Prime sooner, Ashley's unit might still be alive. If we had gotten to Feros sooner, more of Zhu's Hope would have survived."

"Maybe," he said, sitting down. "But, if we were on Eden Prime before the attack, we would have been ambushed just the same. And if we reached Feros…well, when the Thorian used them to attack us we would have had a thousand, instead of a hundred, to try and hold off. I guarantee you, if that had been the case some of them would have been killed and we probably would have been killed, too. And…I think as soon as they saw us coming is when they decided to kill Kahoku. Even if we had been there before they got him to that base, they would have just ran and killed him somewhere else. Somewhere we never would have found him. So…things didn't turn out perfectly. They never do. But…it could have been worse. You could have ignored that call completely."

"Maybe," she said. "Or maybe not. But thanks for trying."


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29 – Noveria Port**

Two more weeks on patrol. More geth outposts, a few distress calls of colonies under attack by pirates, but nothing that made Shepard feel they were closing in on Saren. In fact, she felt like somewhere she had failed. Missed something.

She was standing at the CIC, looking over the map of the galaxy. She had marked where they had looked so far, where they had found geth outposts. "Something you are looking for, Commander?" Pressley asked.

"I was hoping that some sort of pattern would emerge. But…so far their efforts show some tactics but nothing to show me if they were preparing to launch an attack, just get a foothold outside the Veil, or protecting something. Hell, maybe they were just sent out to keep me busy."

"Commander, just got something that might make your day," Joker said. "We have some reported geth activity on Noveria."

"Bring it up," Shepard said, and Pressley arranged the holographic galaxy map to bring up Noveria. It was a small and frozen terrestrial world. But it was inhabited. The planet was owned by Noveria Development Corporation, they rented out research labs for research considered too dangerous or controversial to be allowed in Council Space. "Alright, we'll go check it out."

Shepard got in her armor and ready before they reached Noveria, she stood behind Joker's chair as they entered the planet's atmosphere. "Approach Control, this is the SSV Normandy. Requesting a vector and a berth."

"Normandy, your arrival was not scheduled. Our defense grid is armed and tracking you. State your business," was said in the radio.

"Citadel business," Joker said. "We've got a Council Spectre aboard."

There was a pause, and Shepard watched the controls closely incase they decided to fire on them. "Landing access granted, Normandy. Be advised we will be confirming your identification on arrival. If confirmation cannot be established your vessel will be impounded."

Joker closed the radio, "What a fun bunch. I think I'll take my next leave here."

Shepard patted him on the shoulder, "Hold tight, radio me if they give you any trouble out here."

"Sure thing, Commander."

The team stepped off the Normandy. The planet was mostly frozen, and it was cold enough in the dock that they could see their breath when they exhaled. They made their way to the dock office, and were stopped by three armed guards. "That's far enough." The woman in the middle of the guards said.

"I'm not here to cause any problems," Shepard assured them. "Just looking into something."

"This is an unscheduled arrival. I need your credentials."

"I'm a Spectre. My name is Shepard."

"Lord of horse crap, ma'am," one of the other guards said.

"We need to confirm that," the leader of the guard said. She took in Shepard and her team's attire, combat armor and weapons, "Also, I must advise you that firearms are not permitted on Noveria. We'll have to secure your weapons."

One of the guards stepped forward, and half of Shepard's team drew their pistols. "Back away," Ashley warned them.

"Stand down," Shepard said. "Their house, their rules."

"Captain Matsuo! Stand down!" A woman's voice said over the intercom. "We confirmed Shepard's identity. Spectres are authorized to carry weapons here, Captain."

Captain Matsuo nodded, "You may proceed, Spectre. I hope the rest of your visit will be less confrontational. Just behave yourself."

They walked through a door and up some stairs. Passing a defense field an alarm sounded.

A woman came up, "Weapons detectors, let me just shut off the alarm." There was a few moments as she did so, then she stepped towards them. "I am Gianna Parasina, assistant administrator to Mr. Anoleis. We apologize for the incident in the docking bay."

"Your security captain certainly takes her job seriously," Shepard said. "Listen, Gianna, I'm here because someone reported geth here on Noveria."

"Oh, well you got here rather quickly," Gianna said. "Yes, some geth were found in the docking bay just yesterday. There were concerns that there may be more, but our security team made a thorough search. I'm afraid we may have reported it too soon, nothing else was found."

"Only a few? They got here somehow," Shepard said. "I need to know who came into this port the past few days. Anyone unusual?"

"Unusual?" Gianna thought about it, "Well, an asari Matriarch passed through just yesterday. Not long before the geth was found, actually. Lady Benezia."

"Benezia!?" Shepard and Liara said at once.

Shepard felt her whole body tingle, Benezia…they had only missed her by a day, "Is she still here?" Shepard asked.

"Benezia left for the Peak 15 labs yesterday. To the best of my knowledge she is still there."

Shepard leaned towards Gianna, "Benezia is dangerous. Chances are she is the one who brought the geth here. I need to find her, so I need you to point me in the direction of Peak 15. Now."

Gianna leaned back a bit, "I…I'm afraid I can't give authorization for you to leave the port. You would need to speak to Mr. Anoleis for that."

"Then that is where you need to point me," Shepard said, trying to keep her voice calm and even.

"Yes, follow me." Gianna said.

Shepard motioned for Alenko to take lead and fell back to walk beside Liara, "Are you alright?"

"She is here…I cannot believe it," Liara muttered.

"I trust you, Liara," Shepard said. "When we find her, we're going to talk to her. And…I'm hoping you can help us talk to her. If what Shiala said was right, your mother is under Saren's control. But she's a powerful woman, if we can get through to her maybe we can get her back."

Liara took a shaky breath, "You make it sound like it will be easy."

Shepard shook her head, "It won't be, but whatever happens we'll get through it together."

Shepard got back to the front behind Gianna, "Peak 15, who rents that lab?"

"Binary Helix," Gianna said. "They are a leader in genetics and biotechnology. They try to keep a low profile in the media. Most of their research is in biotic modification." They stopped at an office, "Mr. Anoleis is waiting for you inside."

"I'll go in alone," Shepard said, walking through the door.

Anoleis was a salarian, bluish green in an expensive suit, he was busy on his terminal and didn't stand up to greet her. "This greeting is a courtesy. I will only cooperate as required by the executive board," he said simply. "Businesses come here to avoid the second-guessing of galactic law."

"I'm conducting an investigation. It's a matter of galactic security," Shepard said.

"I will not allow you to harass our clients. This world is private property."

Shepard smiled, resting her hand on her pistol as she took a step closer to his desk, "Have you done business with Saren?"

"Agent Saren? One of your Spectre compatriots? He is a major investor in Binary Helix Corporation, which is one of Noveria's backers."

Shepard took a calming breath, "Is Binary Helix developing weapons for him?"

"It's possible, given his interests. What our clients do in their labs is their business."

Shepard put her hands on his desk and leaned forward, "Matriarch Benezia is here, why?"

"She arrived the other day accompanied by a personal escort and some cargo. She is up at Peak 15."

"Personal escort?"

"Bodyguards," he said. "Mostly asari commandos."

"Oh…fun," Shepard muttered. "What kind of cargo?"

"Large. Heavy, and sealed. It passed weapons screening. Beyond that it is not our concern."

"Why is she here?"

"If I knew I wouldn't be at liberty to say. She came here as Agent Saren's executor. She is here on business for Binary Helix. There were issues at Peak 15 that required Saren's attention."

"I need to see her. Now," Shepard said.

"I'm afraid that you cannot. Peak 15 is a private facility in the Skadi Mountains. Regardless, there is a blizzard in the area. Shuttles are grounded, and surface access has been cut off."

"Surface access is cut off?" Shepard clarified.

"Cut off, I said. The roads are not suitable for travel. Don't make an issue of this, Shepard."

She reached across the desk and grabbed the collar of his suit, pulling the small salarian out of his seat and closer to her, "I'm going to make an issue of this, Anoleis. Now, I'm a reasonable person. I understand you can't allow me access, but there is a way there. All I want you to do is point me in that direction, or I can do a lot of things to screw with your business. Interrogate all your employees and clients I saw on my way here. Detain them, for days, as I comb your port for clues."

He blinked, "I do not respond to idle threats, Shepard."

She let him go, "I don't make idle threats. I've spent the past seven weeks on this mission, and I'm not letting your company's policies get in my way. Now, we can either make this long and painful for both of us, or you can just tell your men to look the other way while my team and I take a rover and make our way up to Peak 15. Spectres are sneaky bastards, right?"

He blinked again, and pressed a button on his desk, "I want you to clear the garage temporarily. We have a client coming through that needs to remain anonymous. Make sure a vehicle is prepared."

"Thank you for your time," Shepard said.

"You only have half an hour," he warned her.

Shepard came out of the office and motioned for her team to follow her, "We need to get moving."

"You convinced Anoleis to give you access to Peak 15?" Alenko asked.

"Not exactly," she said through her teeth in a tone that told him she didn't want to talk about it.

Alenko wanted to ask her what she did. He knew how badly she wanted this lead, how far would she go for it? He held back his questions, it wasn't the right place or time to be questioning her. There never was a right place or time to question your commanding officer.

"We had our ear to the ground while you were in there," Alenko said. "Nasty blizzard in that area. And they've lost contact with Peak 15 about six hours ago. Not uncommon when the weather gets bad."

Shepard led her team down several flights of stairs to the garage, "I think I can handle a little blowing snow."

"From what we heard Peak 15 has a bad reputation," Garrus said. "Nobody talks about what they do up there, and everyone sent up comes back down a little quieter."

"Saren is a big investor of Binary Helix. They are developing something for him. Benezia is here as his executor. Either she is here to oversee something, collect something…or something went wrong," Shepard said.

They reached the garage, seeing a waiting rover and nothing else. "No one works down here?" Wrex asked.

"On break," Shepard said. "This is our ride, though."

Liara shivered, "I hope it is heated."

"Want me to take the wheel, Commander?" Alenko asked.

"I want to handle this one," Shepard said. "Everyone get cozy, this is going to be a long drive."


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30 – Noveria, Central Station**

The drive to Peak 15 was a mix of skyline bridges and curving mountain paths. The higher up they climbed the worse the snow fell, lowering their visibility. The whole trip was icy, but the rover handled well.

It took over two hours to reach the Binary Helix lab. The got out of the rover and into the garage, and then into the lower part of the labs. The area was a storage area, a lot of crates holding supplies, Shepard assumed.

"Geth," Tali said in a low warning, only moments before shots were fired at them.

"They are really good at ambushing," Shepard hissed, dodging behind cover. "They don't move, don't breathe…just wait and when you are in their sights, shoot."

"They have flashlight heads, ma'am," Ashley said.

"May not be wise to sass the Commander when her weapon is out," Garrus chuckled.

After the firefight they became aware of an intercom message being played by Peak 15s VI. "User alert. All Peak 15 facilities have suffered a great deal of damage. Biohazard materials present throughout the facility. Virtual Intelligence user interface offline."

"Biohazard materials?" Williams said, concerned.

"Well, that could mean anything," Liara said. "Anything from a minor chemical spill to…a debilitating mutating virus."

"Not helping," Shepard said. "If we come across organics with ill effects, we'll know. Until then, everyone watch yourself."

"We can find out which species is a canary in a mineshaft," Williams said.

"Uh…canary?" Garrus asked.

"If we survive I'll explain it to you," Williams offered.

"Ugh…I don't like the sound of that," he said.

"Schematics for the labs, Commander," Tali called.

Shepard ignored Williams and Garrus and went to Tali's side. "Alright, we're here in the Central Station. We are close to the labs, but the only way there is through a tram that goes between the Central Station to the Rift Station. The Rift Station is where the main labs are."

"You heard what the VI said, seems like most systems are offline," Tali said.

"We'll find a way," Shepard muttered. "We haven't come this far to give up."

They made their way to the upper levels of the Rift Station, taking care of geth as they came across them. They were only a few levels up, walking past a long clear tube with creatures inside them.

It was an insect-like animal, similar to an arachnid but it had extra tentacle-like appendages, mostly red but some blue to their color. "Office pet?" Garrus mused.

There were four of the creatures, all about the size of an average human male, and they scurried down the tube and out of sight.

"I'm going to guess that's Binary Helix's experiment," Shepard said. "What the hell are they?"

"I don't like this, Shepard," Wrex said, and it sent a chill up her spine. Wrex didn't complain. Never. He was happiest when he was running alongside her shooting a gun, or running up ahead to head-butt something before snapping its neck. Shepard respected Wrex's experience, he had over three hundred years of it.

The door they were heading to burst open, and the four creatures they had seen in the clear tubes that ran through the complex rushed at them.

Once they were gunned down Shepard scanned them, "Not recognized," she muttered. "New species. Creepy, too."

"Geth and overgrown spiders, fun," Williams muttered.

They reached the top level of the station, coming across only the creatures they had just discovered. No more geth. Shepard and Tali worked together to get the Virtual Intelligence back online. Once done a virtual interface that called itself Mira appeared in a hologram.

"It looks like you are trying to restore this facility. Would you like help?" Mira asked.

"I take it where I can," Shepard said.

"This system is programmed to respond to the name 'Mira'. May I ask your name?"

"Commander Shepard, Council Spectre."

"One moment please. Identity confirmed. Due to the current emergency you are entitled to secure access of all systems. Please note that queries related to corporate secrets require privileged access which is only available to Binary Helix executives. This system is prepared to answer queries. You may access me at any holographic interface within Peak 15."

"Tali and Kaidan, work on getting the secondary power up," Shepard said, and turned her attention back to the VI. "Where is Benezia?"

"Lady Benezia departed on the passenger tramway to the Rift Station subsidiary labs. User Alert! The tramway system is currently inoperable."

"How do I make the tramway operable?"

"Secondary power must be manually booted."

"We're doing that you stupid machine didn't you just hear me…"

"Shepard…relax, it's just a VI," Ashley said. "Can't punch a hologram. Believe me, I've tried."

Shepard ran hand through her hair, "We are so damn close, I can taste it, and we're fighting these…giant bugs. And the only thing standing us from moving ahead is power failure."

"Not anymore," Alenko said. "Needs a few minutes to boot up, but we got it figured out."

"User Alert! Dangerous contaminates are loose in the passenger tramway decontamination chamber," Mira warned.

"What kind of contaminants?" Shepard asked.

"I'm sorry, corporate secrets are privileged information only available to Binary Helix executives."

"Shooting the console does work," Williams offered helpfully.

"Don't tempt me," Shepard said.

They made their way down the hall to the tramway, and looked through the clear window of the decontamination chamber. "Just those things again," Liara said. "This could be what the VI warned us of when we first came here, biohazard. New species, violent, possibly carrying diseases."

"Crack this door open, I'm tossing in a grenade," Shepard said.

Once the contamination chamber was clear they went through and got to the passenger tram.

"Departing Central Station. Destination, Rift Station," Mira's voice said automatically in the tram.

"That VI is setting my teeth on edge," Shepard said, leaning against the wall of the tram as it began to move. "Everyone doing okay?"

A round of nods or 'yeah' came through.

Shepard worked on settling herself, keeping her focus and calm. Nearly two months and this was the closest she had been to Saren. His second of command was going to be there when the tram stopped. She had to consider Benezia's state of mind, it was quite possible that she was an unwilling thrall. Or it was possible that Shiala had lied or was just plain wrong. She was close to getting valuable information. Or perhaps only the option to destroy Benezia and weaken Saren.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31 – Noveria, Rift Station**

The landing spot for the tramway was clear, and they got a radio signal from inside the station. "This way," Shepard said, tracking the signal.

They got to a room a level above the tramway, the door slid open and several armed guards were waiting.

"Stand down!" A man said, slowly walking towards them. "Sorry, we couldn't be sure what was on that tram."

"I'd only be upset if they shot," Shepard said. "I'm Commander Shepard, Council Spectre."

"Captain Ventrialis, I'm in charge of security here," he said.

"What's going on here?"

"Bugs, hundreds of them. They keep coming up the tunnels from the hot labs. My team's been running on stems the past few days. They overran the hot labs last week."

"They were crawling all over Central Station, what the hell are they?"

"All I know is that they are fast, vicious, and there is a hell of a lot of them. The board sent an asari to clean up the mess. She went into the hot labs earlier today. We haven't heard from her since."

"Benezia," Shepard muttered.

"A Matriarch has the skill to keep herself alive for a long time," Liara said.

"We need to go to the hot labs," Shepard said.

"You ain't in my squad, I'm not going to try and stop you. But I can't afford to send you any reinforcements either. Just try not to let anything out the front door, we have enough trouble with the ones smart enough to sneak up the tunnels."

"We'll do what we can," Shepard promised.

They went back down the stairs and to an elevator that would take them to the lower levels of the hot labs.

When the elevator door slid open they slowly marched out, "Nothing, no one," Liara muttered.

Shepard held up a hand to quiet her, and listened. She looked around, then up to the ceiling. "Everyone…back in the elevator."

No one questioned her, but moved backwards quickly. Shepard was the last to enter as a gas began to pour through the vents of the ceiling.

"It was a trap?" Williams asked.

Shepard tried to move in the crowded elevator, "Yeah, it was a trap."

"That's what happens when you trust everyone, Shepard," Wrex rumbled. "Shepard, I need to tell you something."

The elevator stopped and the door slid open, they stepped out, eyes searching for an ambush, "Wrex, can it wait?"

"I think I know what those things are," he said. "I think they are Rachni."

"That's not possible, the krogan hunted the Rachni to extinction," Liara said.

"I know that. I know my history," Wrex rumbled. "These things are too much like the stories I've heard."

"I don't care what we call them," Shepard said. "Be ready for some resistance."

They made their way back to the room the Captain was holding from the monsters, rachni if that's what they were. "Damn it, Shepard…I hate to do this, but I have orders."

"You think about this, Captain," she said quickly, eyeing his dozen guards. "I'm a Spectre for a reason. Do you get paid enough to die for your job? So many of your men are already gone because of what Binary Helix has been doing. Hell, they'll probably kill you themselves because you know too much. Let me find Benezia, I can protect you from her, and then whenever you want you can get off this ice chunk of a planet. Alive."

His hand shook, his will faltering, "No…"

He fired the first shot, Shepard's team fired the last shots.

"Everyone okay?" Shepard asked quietly, checking her omni-tool and their life signs.

"Relax, Shepard. We are fine," Williams said.

They found schematics for the Rift Station and made a plan. "Williams, Tali and Garrus, I want you to guard the tram. If she slips past us you need to do what you can. Detain her for questioning if possible."

"Just three of us against a Matriarch?" Garrus asked.

"You'll want to radio for backup," Shepard said. "Wrex, Liara, Alenko…I need you."

"Just four of you going against a Matriarch?" Tali said, concerned.

"We find her, we call for backup," Shepard said. "There are a lot of places to search, if we miss her…we fail. We cannot fail."

Shepard led her team through a search of the Rift station, starting at the bottom. The first room was a small lab, a few terminals. Shepard opened one, looking at the data. "Wrex…you were right," Shepard said. "These are Rachni."

"That is impossible!" Liara gasped.

"They found eggs, on a derelict ship. Got them to hatch," Shepard said. "They were attempting to bring them under their control."

"An army of Rachni…he'd be unstoppable," Wrex rumbled.

"It was considered a failed project. They can't control them. They only listen to the queen," Shepard said.

"Queen? Where is the queen?" Alenko asked.

"Doesn't say," Shepard said tensely. "Let's hope we don't find it."


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32 - Benezia**

They went through a maintenance area, then an underground tunnel that led them up to a research lab. The lab had an entrance on all four walls, a hundred meters from one wall to the opposite. In the middle it was raised, and there a svelte dark blue asari stood. She turned her head, looking down at them.

"You do not know the privilege of being a mother. There is power in creation. To shape a life. Turn it toward happiness or despair," she said, her voice carrying and filling the entire room. She looked away from them, admiring the centerpiece of the room. A giant Rachni, five times as large as the others they had come across in the whole facility, was imprisoned in a clear tank. "Her children were to be ours. Raised to hunt and slay Saren's enemies." Benezia looked back to them, taking a few steps towards them. "I won't be moved by sympathy. No matter who you bring into this confrontation."

Shepard glanced at Liara, and back to Benezia. "Liara is here because she wants to be. Not because I asked her to."

"Indeed? What have you told her about me, Liara?"

"What could I say, mother? That you're insane? Evil? Should I explain how to kill you? What could I say?" Liara asked, her voice rising with each word.

Benezia's smile was cruel and she focused her attention on Shepard, "Have you faced an asari commando unit before? Few humans have."

Shepard narrowed her eyes at Benezia, "I can't believe you'd kill your own daughter."

"I now realize I should have been stricter with her," Benezia said, and she began to glow with her biotic power.

They dove behind cover, "Williams, we found her," Shepard said in the radio.

"Where are you?" Williams said.

The crate Shepard had been using to block Benezia's attacks exploded, throwing her away. An asari commando grabbed her, wrapping her hand around Shepard's throat and lifting her up before throwing her with a biotic push. Shepard landed in a bare area, aiming and firing her assault rifle at the commando that was coming at her again. "Research lab. Go through…shit…"

The commando was on her again, her biotic barrier having absorbed all the bullets. Shepard let her grab on again, and then shoved the barrel of her pistol into her face and held down the trigger. She ducked behind cover, "Williams, you read?" there was nothing but static, her radio had been damaged.

"How are we holding up?" she called to her team. Liara could barely be seen, a dark biotic field around her as she stood fearlessly in the open, holding back two commandos on her own. Alenko was behind cover, coming up to take a few shots before going back under again. Wrex was more in the open, keeping two commandos at bay with his shotgun. "Well, looks okay."

The handled the wave of commandos, and two waves of geth troopers. Shepard got out of her cover, trying to get Benezia in her sights. Benezia was looking at the imprisoned Rachni, her hand on the clear cell.

"This is not over," Benezia said as Shepard approached her. "Saren is unstoppable. My mind is filled with his light. Everything is clear."

"The Rachni didn't cooperate with you. Why should I?" Shepard asked suspiciously, ready for Benezia to turn and swat her with a biotic kick.

"I will not betray him. You will…you…" Benezia tensed and struggled with an unseen force. Then she straightened and stared at Shepard with desperate eyes, "You must listen. Saren still whispers in my mind. I can fight his compulsions, briefly. But the indoctrination is strong."

Shepard swallowed hard, it could be a trick, she had to be ready for Benezia to attack, but as long as she was talking Shepard would listen. "How are you breaking through now?" Shepard asked.

"I sealed part of my mind away from the indoctrination. Saving it for a moment when I could help destroy him. It will not last long. People are not themselves around Saren. You come to idolize him. Worship him. You would do anything for him. The key is Sovereign, his flagship. It is a dreadnought of incredible size and its power is extraordinary."

"I've heard of Sovereign already. Where did it come from?"

"I cannot say. The geth did not build it. Its technology is far more advanced than that of any known species. Saren found it…and believes it to be a Reaper ship. The longer you stay aboard the more Saren's will seems correct. You sit at his feet and smile as his words pour into you. It is subtle at first. I thought I was strong enough to resist. Instead, I became a willing tool, eager to serve. He sent me here to find the location of the Mu Relay. Its position was lost thousands of years ago. Four thousand years ago a star nearby went supernova. The shockwave propelled the relay out of its system, but did not damage it. Its precise vector and speed are impossible to determine. As millennia passed, the nebula created by the nova enveloped the relay. It is difficult to find any cold object in interstellar space. Particularly something swathed in hot dust and radiation."

"Someone on Noveria found the Mu Relay?"

"Two thousand years ago the rachni inhabited that region of our galaxy. They discovered the relay. The rachni can share memories across generations. Queens inherit the knowledge of their mothers. I took the location of the relay from the queen's mind. I was not gentle," Benezia shook her head sadly.

"You can still make it right. Give me the information," Shepard said.

"I was not myself, but…I should have been stronger. I transcribed the data to an OSD. Take it, please," Benezia said, taking slow steps towards Shepard and handing it to her.

"Knowing the relay's coordinates is not enough. Do you know where he planned to go from there?" Liara asked.

"Saren wouldn't tell me his destination. But you must find out quickly. I transmitted the coordinates to him before you arrived," Benezia warned. "You have to stop…me! I can't…his teeth are at my ear. Fingers on my spine. You should…you should…"

"Mother!" Liara stepped forward as Benezia stepped back. "Don't leave! Fight him!"

"You've always made me proud, Liara," Benezia said, and her face changed rapidly. "DIE!"

"No!" Liara cried as Benezia threw a wave of biotic energy. Shepard thought Liara was going to jump in front of her mother to keep them from shooting, but instead she grabbed Shepard and covered her with a biotic barrier. The force still sent them sprawling, but probably kept Shepard from ending up a broken heap on the other side of the room.

Wrex and Alenko fired, and Benezia fell in moments, breathing hard. "I cannot go on. You have to stop him, Shepard," she said weakly and Shepard and Liara went to her side.

"We have medi-gel…maybe we can…"

"No. He is still in my mind. I am not entirely myself. I never will be again," she said. "No light? They always said there would be…" Benezia's eyes closed and her body went limp.

"Mother…" Liara cried as she knelt next to Benezia's still body. Shepard put a hand on her shoulder, and Liara stood up and wrapped her arms around Shepard in a hug.

"Commander, I think your radio cut out. Williams is trying to get through to you," Alenko said quietly.

Liara let her go and Shepard checked her transmitter, "Busted. Tell her we're okay, we'll be back down in a few minutes. Wrex, Alenko, check the perimeter."

Alenko nodded, understanding Shepard wanted a moment with Liara.

Liara sat on the ground next to her mother, Shepard stood behind her. She was unsure what would be appropriate. "I would like a few moments alone," Liara said.

"Sure," Shepard nodded. "Take your time."


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33 – Noveria, Rachni Queen**

Shepard walked away and up the stairs to the Rachni prison, looking in at the monstrous creature with a mix of awe and horror. Shepard did not see the asari commando, one that had fallen minutes ago in the initial attack, stand up and stumble towards the Rachni prison. When the Rachni suddenly struck the clear cell, right in front of Shepard's face, Shepard jumped back in surprise, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest. Shepard turned, deciding the Rachni didn't want to be looked at, and saw the commando. She raised her weapon, but the asari ignored her, walking drunkenly until she reached the cell, and turned to face Shepard.

"Uh…guys?" Shepard called. "Not sure what to think of this…"

Her team was at her side immediately, pointing their weapons at the asari. Its body was fatally wounded, blood still seeping from bullet wounds. She shouldn't be able to walk, move, or do anything but let her body finish its lasts breaths.

"This one. Serves as our voice," the asari said in a strange tone, its head jerking. "We cannot sing. Not in these low spaces. Your musics are colorless."

"What the…" Shepard muttered, lowering her pistol. "Musics? What?"

"Your way of communicating is strange. Flat. It does not color the air. When we speak, one moves all," the asari said. Shepard looked past the asari to the cell, the large Rachni was moving up and down, and had one of her tentacles spread out against the wall of it. "We are the mother. We sing for those left behind. The children you thought silenced. We are Rachni."

"How are you speaking through this asari?" Shepard asked, looking at the asari and at the rachni queen.

"Our kind sing through touchings of thought. We pluck the strings, and the other understands. She is weak to urging," the rachni explained through the asari. "She has colors we have no names for. But she is ending. Her music is bittersweet. It is beautiful. The children we birthed were stolen from us before they could learn to sing. They are lost to silence. End their suffering. They cannot be saved. They will only cause harm as they are."

"You mean the…smaller rachni?" Shepard asked. "The ones that are killing people?"

"These needle-men. They stole our eggs from us. They sought to turn our children into beasts of war. Claws with no songs of their own. Our elders are comfortable with silence. Children know only fear if no one sings to them. Fear has shattered their minds." The voice coming from the asari sounded furious, and the asari trembled and shook.

"I understand," Liara said. "A child left alone in a closet until she is sixteen would not be sane."

"Before you deal with our children, we stand before you. What will you sing? Will you release us? Are we to fade away once more?"

"The rachni wars took a lot of my people," Wrex said. "You can't let this thing live."

"They made a mistake," Liara said. "They let the krogan go too far by wiping them out. This is a chance for us to atone. She has done nothing to us."

"Your companion hears the truth. You have the power to free us, or return our people to the silence of memory."

Shepard clenched her teeth, "Are you the only queen left?"

"There are no others."

"Are you a survivor from the war? A clone?" Shepard asked.

"We do not know. We were only an egg, hearing Mother cry in our dreams. A tone from space hushed one voice after another. It forced the singers to resonate with its own sour yellow note. Then we awoke, in this place. The last echo of those who came out from the Singing Planet. The sky is silent."

"If you live...are you going to attack other races again?"

"No. We…I do not know what happened in the war. We only heard discordance, songs the color of oily shadows. We would seek a hidden place to teach our children harmony. If they understand, perhaps we would return."

Shepard let out a breath, "I won't destroy your entire race."

"Shepard!" Wrex rumbled.

"I am not being responsible for genocide," Shepard snapped. "She's sentient, she hasn't tried to kill us. The other rachni we came across had been tampered with."

"There is a reason their entire race was hunted to extinction," Wrex said.

"You will give us a chance to compose anew? We will remember. We will sing of your forgiveness to our children," the rachni said.

Shepard looked at the controls, "If another war breaks out, you'll be hunted again. I'll be in that front line."

"No war. Peace," the rachni said.

Shepard opened the cell. The floor vibrated as the queen walked out, and Shepard had her hand on her gun as it neared her. It was disgusting to look at, really quite hideous. It stood before her for only a few moments, then slowly reached out to touch Shepard's arm with a tentacle. The touch was gentle and quick. Then the queen turned and began to make its way to the tunnels.

"I hope that doesn't come back to bite you in the ass," Wrex said, but he didn't sound angry.

"I do, too," Shepard agreed.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34 – After Noveria**

They made it back to the Central Station, then a long drive back to the port. The blizzard had continued while they were at the station and the drive took twice as long to get them back because of the conditions.

Tired, even to the point of exhaustion, Shepard ordered the team to the briefing room before any of them went to get some rest.

"What is our next move, Commander? Head for the Mu Relay?" Ashley asked.

"No, the Mu Relay could link to dozens of systems. Unless we know exactly where Saren is trying to go, we'd just be wasting our time," Shepard said.

"The Commander is right. We cannot rush off blind. We still need to learn more about Saren's plans," Liara said.

"Who put you in charge?" Ashley asked. "Did the commander resign when I wasn't looking?"

"We're all on the same team here, Williams," Shepard said. "I invite anyone who has an opinion to share it. If you can't respect others I can't respect yours."

"Sorry, Commander," Ashley said quickly.

"This was the most important part of our mission so far," Shepard said quietly. "But I don't think the hardest part has come yet. What this has showed us is how much Saren has invested in his plan. The Thorian, gaining the Cipher. The Rachni, gaining the location of the Mu Relay. We have a piece missing, where does the Mu Relay lead. I'm guessing wherever it goes, it takes him somewhere to find the Conduit. I know this day has been long and hard, I want everyone to do what they can to rest up, be ready. Always ready. As soon as we get our next lead, we are jumping on it. We are behind Saren, but we are catching up. We have a good team, but we don't have time to get comfortable. Everything you think can give us an edge, do it. Does anyone have something to add or say?" Shepard looked around the room, everyone was silent. "Dismissed."

Shepard didn't go to get rest like she had ordered her team to do. She had a mission report to file. Council was going to love it, she was sure. Releasing the Rachni Queen certainly seemed like the right thing to do, but in the back of her mind she was concerned. Shepard knew she'd probably be dead, even if she lived to old age, before the Rachni had enough of a population to even attempt a war if that was their intent. But she couldn't kill the queen. She couldn't doom an entire species to extinction, not when it was begging for mercy.

"Had a feeling you'd be up," Kaidan said quietly, offering her a cup of coffee.

"Thanks," she said.

"Looking for a distraction?"

She smiled, "Have a seat, Alenko. Tell me, what do you think of all this?"

"Well…having killed Saren's, what would you call her…second in command? That has to hit him where it hurts. Has to be tough on Dr. T'Soni, though. Poor kid. The Rachni…well, I don't argue with you, but that was a pretty major decision. Definitely not looking for the fallout when that news gets sent out."

"Yeah, me either," Shepard grimaced. "What's on your mind?"

"Not much," he said. "We haven't really had time to chat much."

She smiled. She talked to him every day, but considering how long they spent on Noveria it had been a while. "You are pretty hesitant, Lieutenant. You are very keen on keeping things strictly professional," she said, pushing him and making herself angry. Why was she pursuing this?

"I don't want to distract you too much. The deeper we get into this mess, the bigger it seems. I'm just looking for an ear, I guess. The debriefing wasn't the right place to say how ridiculous this is. Seems like every other race in the galaxy is wrapped up in their own problems. They don't want to see what's coming," he said, trying to keep the topic business.

"Wanting to believe everything will be fine sounds like human nature to me."

"Yeah. I guess some things carry across species well enough," he muttered. "I should remember that after what happened with Vyrnus." He mentally smacked himself, there he was, bringing his personal life back into it. Damn, he was a glutton for punishment.

"Before it sounded like you had to take a lot of crap from Vyrnus. Still a bit of a grudge there?"

He opened his mouth to say 'Forget it,' but he met her eyes. There was a mix of concern there, and interest. He wanted to talk to her about it. "Before I met Vyrnus, I knew as much as any other civilian. Aliens were weird, superior, and tried to tell us what to do. I mean, it's only been twenty-six years since first contact. That's not a lot of time to understand them. It was Vyrnus that made me see how human aliens are. They're not different or special. They're jerks and saints, just like us. Hell, by the time I got payback, I didn't even want it anymore."

Shepard leaned back a bit, "I don't see you snapping very easily, Kaidan. What happened?"

He looked down, frowning a bit. There he had gone, on a rant. She made it so easy to talk, made him reveal things he had originally intended to keep secret. He didn't want secrets from her, though. "He hurt Rahna," he confessed, looking back up at her. "Broke her arm. She reached for a glass of water instead of pulling it bioticly. She just wanted a drink without getting a nosebleed, you know? Like an idiot, I stood up. Didn't know what I was going to do. Just something. And Vyrnus lost it. Beat the crap out of me. Kept shouting how they should have bombed us back to the stone age. That's when the knife came up. A military-issue talon. Right in my face. I cut loose. Full biotic kick, right in the teeth. Almost as strong as I can manage now. At seventeen, that's something."

Shepard smiled a bit, "You wanted to help a girl you cared for. That's a noble thing."

He nodded, "Maybe my intentions were noble. But I lost control. I killed him," he confessed, and her smile disappeared. "Snapped his neck. They probably could have saved him, if they got him to an infirmary quick enough. But they didn't. Caused a stir when they sent him home. BAat training was shut down. Conatix folded a couple years later. It's funny. I'm not sure which of us got the worst of what happened."

"What about Rahna? Was she alright?"

"Rahna? Yeah. Yeah, she was fine. We never really, uh. We stopped talking after that."

"What? Why?" Shepard asked, leaning forward. She had never known Rahna, never even heard of the name before Kaidan had started talking about her, but she was suddenly angry at the girl. How could she just brush Kaidan off like that?

"Rahna had a gentle heart. She loved everyone. Vyrnus terrified her. We all protected her from him. Everyone who…everyone who loved her. But after what I did to him, she was terrified of me, too." Kaidan said. He cleared his throat, "Anyway, this is, um…had a point here. Aliens are individuals. Just because one's an ass doesn't mean they all are. So yeah, I hated that turian. But he wasn't a turian to me. He was Vyrnus."

Shepard tapped her fingers on the table, "This explains a lot," She said. "Why you are so self-controlled, I mean."

"I'm no more disciplined than any other biotic, Shepard," he argued. "This is all ancient history. I'm over it."

"I don't mean your biotic skills. Just, you…as a person. You agonize over doing the right thing. You never let yourself lose control. Because Rahna spurned you after Vyrnus died," Shepard said. "You are careful, cautious."

"That…all right. You have a point," he said reluctantly, then added. At a personal level, that fit him very well. "Maybe. But I'm okay. You don't have to worry about me. Fully functional human being. I won't be a burden on you…the crew, I mean."

She smiled, she loved it when he stumbled over his words. She wondered if he did it on purpose, a way to keep himself out of trouble if she didn't share his interest. She could see him doing that, leaving himself a way out. "Kaidan, I don't consider you a burden. You are a strong man. Talking about this doesn't make you a whiner, and it doesn't make you immature. I like talking with you, person to person, like this."

"Yeah, I like it too," he admitted. "But I always seem to give out a lot more."

She nodded, "I suppose that is true. Or it might just seem like it because your stories take a long time." He chuckled, like he hadn't been teased before for taking forever to get to the point. "I'm afraid I just don't have a lot of interesting stories to tell."

"Can't even think of one?" he asked.

She leaned back and stretched as she thought, "No, nothing. Life was pretty boring before the Alliance. And after the Alliance there have been so many missions I've lost count. Some I can't talk about. Ever."

"What about your training?" he asked.

"Oh…well, nothing of importance," she said. "It was hell."

"Tough?"

"Oh, yeah. Two years of training. I hear new recruits complaining about Basic and I want to smack them," she laughed. "My special forces training actually started just a few weeks after the Blitz. I had just finished recovering from some minor injuries…"

"Uh…Chakwas actually told me about that. She said you had been shot four times," he said. How could she play that down? Then again, after the skirmish with the Thorian she tried to ignore those injures. Was she stubborn? Or just didn't want to show weakness? "Minor injuries?"

"Flesh wounds," Shepard said, laughing. "Hurt like hell, but nothing serious. I've had serious injuries before, I knew the difference."

"Alright, superwoman. Go on," he laughed.

"I had applied for N7 training a year before I got in. First day of training they ran us, non stop, twenty hours. We got ordered to bed, I practically died. Two hours later, they woke us up and did another twenty hours. Kept doing that for a month straight."

"That sounds pretty extreme," he said.

"That's just the first month, they were breaking us in gently," she said.

"I can't imagine many people being able to hold out that long," he said.

"A lot didn't. We started out with fifty. By the time we graduated two years later there were ten left."

"You keep in contact with any of them?" he asked.

"Nope."

"Seriously? Two years of brutal training didn't bond you to each other?"

She shook her head, "No. I mean, the other nine were buddies. Everyone hated me."

"What? Why?"

"There were a lot of rumors on how I had been accepted into the training. I knew from the first day that I was going to have to prove myself. When I kept lasting when other more fit candidates started dropping…well, there are still a lot of men that can't handle being beat by a woman. Not all of them were like that, I don't want it to seem like that was the case. It wasn't. Just, I was singled out."

"Sometimes it's lonely being the pioneer," Kaidan said.

"I didn't apply to the training to make friends," she said. "I did it to gain the skills I needed to make a difference. Since then…there have been some good missions and some bad ones. This one, however, still takes the prize."

"Have to admit, these past few months have been a rollercoaster," Kaidan said.

"I hate rollercoaster's," she chuckled.

"What do you think you'll do when it's done?" Kaidan asked.

"Once Saren has been taken care of…first order of business would be a shore leave for the crew," she said.

"That doesn't sound too bad. I'm definitely looking forward to some shore leave," he said.

"Have you ever been to Chicago?"

"No, ma'am."

"If you want to, you should visit. There is a restaurant across the street from my apartment. Best food in the galaxy."

He smiled, "I think I'd like to try that, then. You'll have to show me it."

"Not a problem. So we just have to find out where the Mu Relay goes, track down Saren, secure the Conduit and finish saving the galaxy before we can have a date. Sounds easy enough." Shepard held herself with confidence as her mind screamed at her 'What the hell, Andy!' This was definitely skirting the regs, but still acceptable.

Kaidan smiled wide, feeling a blush creep up his face. "Well, I guess we should probably get to work on that. Or…we should probably get some rest, first. Goodnight, Commander."

Kaidan was thinking, she was bold. And damn did she keep him on his toes. A date? Definitely something to look forward to. It had been a few years since he'd even tried, how pathetic was that? He'd have to try not to let that slip the next time they talked, but she'd probably know his life story before this mission ended.

He left her alone at the table, alone and frustrated. She had just arranged a date and he was going to leave it like that? She stifled a yawn. She'd get the mission report sent off and lay down for a bit. Kaidan was a welcome distraction, but the pressure of the mission had never weighed as heavily on her as it did now. That she had plans after this mission, just an extra reason to finish it.

Shepard rolled out of bed after the nightmares woke her up after just a few hours, dressing and walking out of her cabin and heading straight for the coffee.

"Hey, Liara, how are you?" Shepard asked quietly.

Liara was sitting alone at the mess table, her head had been down but she looked up as Shepard spoken, "Benezia was a good person once, before she was twisted by Sovereign's power. That's what you want to talk to me about, isn't it?"

"Only if you want to," Shepard said.

"I don't. Asari don't grieve as many other species do. I have chosen to remember my mother how she was before. I have found peace. I just want to thank you, Shepard. For allowing me to come. For taking me with to see her one last time."

"I needed you there," Shepard said.

"And I will be here, until the end. I will talk to you later, Shepard," Liara got up and walked away.

Shepard made her rounds on the ship, stopping at Ashley's station while she was checking the weapons. "How is everything, Chief?"

"Good," Ashley said. "Happy Armistice Day, by the way."

Shepard had to think about it. Armistice Day was the anniversary of the First Contact War. "Yeah, guess that is today, isn't it? I didn't think anyone celebrated it anymore."

"My family always marks it," Ashley said. "In my family it's not really a celebration. More like an obligation." Ashley looked at Shepard face, it was covered with curious confusion. "Don't tell me you don't know about my family. My commanders always find out. It's not in my files or something?"

"I didn't check your file, Ash. I saw you on Eden Prime, Anderson got you on the Normandy, it was good enough for me."

"I'm General Williams' granddaughter," she said, and watched Shepard's face change to surprise. "The commander of the Shanxi garrison in the War. He was the only human ever to surrender to an alien race."

"Ah," Shepard said. That explained something about Ashley. Her family was bitter about the war, a stigma had been placed on them because of her grandfather's surrender. Politics in the upper chains of the Alliance could hold long grudges, that meant that Ashley had to be twice as good as those of the same rank. "That's why you drive yourself so hard."

"A Williams has to be better than the best, if only to avoid suspicion. It takes a special kind of thickheaded to march into a job where your family's blacklisted. I did it anyway. I'm not going to let our name go down with Arnold and Quisling. Granddad deserved better than that."

"As I recall, your grandfather held out for a long time," Shepard said.

"The turians wrecked the orbitals in the first wave, and occupied the major cities. They sat in orbit, dropping rocks on anything that moved. Granddad dispersed the troops. But when they went into the cities for supplies, the turians would wreck a block to eliminate one fire team. Civilians were dying. His troops were starving. And he couldn't contact Alliance High Command. So he surrendered the garrison."

"He refused to sacrifice his men just to save face for humanity. Pushed in the same position, I would have done the same," Shepard said.

"Well, now you know. Going to kick me off the ship, skipper?"

Shepard chuckled, "I need you on my crew, Williams. If I need an opinion from the head, I got Alenko. But when I want one from the heart, I need you."

Ashley thought about it, "Weren't you just telling Wrex the other day the same thing?"

Shepard laughed, "No, Wrex and I were talking about how he has redundant organ systems. That he has a spare heart."

"Oh…" Williams said. "That is so weird."

"I know, right?" Shepard laughed.

"Hey…um, you might want to talk to Garrus. He's been acting…different, since we got back," she said.

"Will do. Thanks," Shepard said.

Shepard found Garrus checking his armor, further modifying what she had already done to it. "What's up, Garrus?"

"Uh…nothing. Anything I can do for you, Commander?"

"Something wrong?" Shepard asked, detecting it in his tone.

"It's Saren," he offered. "I'm starting to wonder whether we'll ever find him. He's always one step ahead of us. And he's got those damn geth."

"We're getting close, Garrus. We'll find him."

"I wish I had your confidence. I just can't stand the thought of him getting away with everything he's done. I know you are doing everything you can. And if anyone can catch him, it's you. But…if there is anything else I can do to help. Anything. Just tell me what you want me to do. I'll do it."

"I just need you ready, Garrus," she said.

"Yes, ma'am. Just…can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Shoot what?"

Shepard bit back a smile, "The question. Ask the question."

"Are you worried that the Council might be protecting Saren? I mean…they were really dragging their heals before. What if we find him, bring him back to the Citadel, and they refuse to act? Maybe we shouldn't give them the chance."

Shepard shook her head, "Garrus, you already know what I'm going to do. How this is going to play out when we find Saren. But, with all he has invested in this I don't think he's going to surrender. If we can get him alive, we might be able to get more information. If we don't…well, at least he's stopped."

He nodded, "Either way, I'm right behind you, Shepard."


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35 – Virmire Landing**

Another anxious week passed, a few more geth outposts cleared out. Shepard was beginning to feel the anxiousness of waiting when Joker called her.

"Incoming transmission from the Citadel. Top Priority clearance," Joker said.

"Put it through to the briefing room," Shepard ordered.

Three holographic faces came up, the Council.

"Commander Shepard, we've received information that may be critical to your mission against Saren," said the asari.

"I'm listening."

"We've received an urgent message from one of our infiltration regiments in the Traverse. We currently have several infiltration units scattered throughout the border regions of Citadel Space. This particular unit was gathering intel on Saren," the salarian councilor said.

"What did they find?"

The salarian continued, "Unfortunately the message we received was little more than static. The infiltration team must be in a situation where they can't set up proper interstellar communications. But the message was sent on a channel reserved for mission-critical communications. Whatever they were trying to tell us, we know it was important. Considering your interest in Saren, we thought you might want to investigate this. Find out what happened to our team. The signal originated from the planet Virmire."

Shepard nodded, "We'll drop in and take a look."

"Good luck, Commander Shepard," the asari said.

It could be something, or it could be nothing. Shepard ordered Pressley and Joker to plot the course to Virmire.

"Commander, I'm reading a signal. Must be our salarian infiltration team," Joker said as they neared Virmire.

"They have anti-aircraft guns," Alenko warned.

"Right here, can we land the Normandy safely, right next to where the infiltration team's signal is?" Shepard pointed.

"Looks like it," Joker said.

"Looks like it?" Shepard glared at him.

"I can do it," Joker corrected, getting an approving nod from Shepard.

Normandy touched down next to a salarian camp. It was only a few clicks away from a much larger structure, some sort of base or factory. Also it was on a beach of a decent sized ocean, the bottom of a cliff, well covered and protected.

"We got a problem," Alenko said. "More AA guns just popped up on scanners."

"What? How the hell did we miss them?" Shepard snapped.

"We got through without being fired at. They must have seen us and just activated them," Alenko muttered.

"Let's get out there and talk to the infiltration team's captain," Shepard said.

Her team stepped out of the Normandy and were greeted by a salarian, Captain Kirrahe of the third infiltration regiment STG. "What's the situation?" Shepard asked him.

"You and your crew have just landed in the middle of a hot zone. Every AA gun within ten miles has been alerted to your presence."

"Yeah, I know," she said tensely. "What do we need to do now?"

"We stay put until the Council sends the reinforcements we requested," Kirrahe said.

"We are the reinforcements," Kaidan said.

"What? You are all they sent? I requested a fleet!"

"The message was all static," Shepard explained. "All they knew was that it was important, and sent me to investigate."

"That is the repetition of our task. I lost half my men investigating this place," he said angrily.

"What have you found?" Shepard asked.

"Saren's base of operations," Kirrahe said. "He's set up a research facility here, but it's crawling with geth and very well fortified."

Shepard let out a breath, all she had wanted was the confirmation Saren was involved. This was where she needed to be. "What's Saren researching here?"

"He's using the facility to breed an army of krogan," Kirrahe said, looking anxiously at Wrex before Wrex even made a move.

Wrex stepped forward, "How is that possible?"

"Apparently Saren has discovered a cure for the genophage," Kirrahe said.

"Shit," Shepard muttered. "He's trying to build a krogan army."

"Exactly my thoughts. We must ensure that this facility and its secrets are destroyed," Kirrahe said.

"Destroyed? I don't think so," Wrex rumbled. "My people are dying. This cure can save them."

"If that cure leaves this planet the krogan will become unstoppable. We can't make the same mistake again," Kirrahe argued.

Wrex went up to the salarian, "We are not a mistake!" he roared, and walked away.

Kirrahe watched Wrex retreat, and looked to Shepard, "Is he going to be a problem? We already have enough angry krogan to deal with."

"I'll talk to him," Shepard said quietly.

"Do that. My men and I need some time to come up with a new plan of attack. Come meet me in my tent once you've dealt with…him," Kirrahe said.

Shepard looked down the beach at Wrex, he was pacing back and forth furiously.

"Looks like things are a bit of a mess," Kaidan said.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be so worried if it wasn't for Wrex," Ashley said. "Looks like he's going to blow a gasket."

Shepard nodded, "I'll be back. I'm going to go talk to him."

"Yeah, it couldn't hurt," Alenko muttered.

"Actually…it could," Ashley corrected.

Shepard made her way to Wrex, he stopped his pacing to look at her. "This isn't right, Shepard," he growled, taking steps towards her. She had fought beside Wrex often enough the past month and a half to know when he was dangerous, he was threatening her. "If there is a cure for the genophage, we can't destroy it."

"Back off, Wrex," she warned. "Saren is the enemy, not me."

"Really? Saren created a cure for my people. You want to destroy it! Help me out here, Shepard. The lines between friend and foe are getting a little blurry from where I stand."

"This isn't a cure, it's a weapon," Shepard said calmly, hard to do with an eight foot tall Krogan within range to bash your skull. "And if Saren is allowed to use it, you won't be around to reap the benefits. None of us will."

"That's a chance we should be willing to take! This is the fate of my entire people we're talking about!" Wrex roared. "I've been loyal to you so far. Hell, you did more for me than my family ever did. But if I'm going to keep following you, I need to know we're doing it for the right reasons." Wrex's hand casually went to his pistol, and Shepard brought up her assault rifle and backed away quickly. Wrex still moved slow, just preparing to be defended, behind Shepard's shoulder he saw Ashley aiming her rifle at him.

Shepard held up a hand to signal a hold fire, she hadn't given up yet. "Wrex, these krogan are not your people. They're slaves of Saren. Tools. Is that what you want for them?" She slowly lowered her own rifle, a sign of trust.

Wrex looked at her, long and steady, and finally said, "No. We were tools for the Council once. To thank us for wiping out the rachni, they neutered us all. I doubt Saren will be as generous." Wrex lowered his pistol. "All right, Shepard. You've made your point. I don't like this, but I trust you enough to follow your lead. But when we find Saren, I want his head."

Wrex shook Shepard's arm, "You got it, friend."

Shepard walked back, letting out a deep breath, "We're good."

"I thought he was going to snap you in half," Ashley said. "If you hadn't been in the line if fire I was about to take a shot."

"Wrex isn't unreasonable," Shepard said. "He's not happy with it, but he knows it has to be done. I need to coordinate with Kirrahe, make sure everyone has what they need."


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36 – The Plan**

Shepard worked with the salarians on a plan of attack. Salarians, while being one of the physically weaker species, relied on quick attacks and stealth. Shepard could handle that. In the end, they came up with a solution.

Shepard called her team to the tent, sitting quietly as Kirrahe explained their mission. "We are going to convert our ships drive system into a twenty-kiloton ordinance. Crude, but effective."

"Nice," Williams grinned. "Drop that nuke from orbit and Saren can kiss his turian ass goodbye."

"Not so fast, Williams," Shepard said in a low voice. Alenko frowned, something was bothering her, and bothering her bad. Her eyes were hardened, and her whole face was tense. "AA guns have the Normandy grounded. And the facility is too well-fortified, it needs to be placed at a precise location." Shepard brought up a holomap of the facility on her omni-tool, "The bomb has to be taken here, far side of the facility. We're going to need a team to infiltrate the base and disable the AA guns, that way the Normandy can come in and place the bomb."

"You mean go in on foot? We don't have enough men, Commander," Alenko said.

"None of us have the numbers to hit them head on," Kirrahe said. "I'm going to divide my men into three teams and hit the front of the facility. While we've got their attention Shepard is going to sneak her 'shadow' team in the back."

"It's a suicide mission," Williams said in a low voice.

"It's true, we don't expect many will make it out alive," Kirrahe admitted. "I need one of the Normandy's team to accompany me. To help coordinate the teams."

Shepard stood up, "They need someone with Alliance communications training."

"I volunteer," Alenko said without hesitation. He already knew, it would have to be him leading that salarian team. He was Shepard's second in command, more experience and higher ranking than Williams. From the look on Shepard's face, she didn't like sending anyone into that mess, and he wanted to make it easy on her. Volunteer before she was forced to order him.

"Not so fast, L-T. Commander Shepard may need you to arm the nuke. I'll go with the salarians," Williams said.

"With all due respect, Gunnery Chief, it's not your place to decide," Alenko said.

"Why is it that whenever someone says 'with all due respect' they really mean 'kiss my ass?" Williams countered.

"Shut up!" Shepard snapped, rounding on them. She looked furious one moment, then her face softened as she looked between her two friends.

"Skipper, we've both taken the Oath," Williams said in a quiet voice. "We know our duty. To the Alliance, the Council…and to you."

"I know," Shepard said. "It's not easy…but I've made the decision. Williams, you'll accompany the captain. No heroics, understood?"

"Aye, aye, Commander," she said.

Shepard grabbed her arm and looked into her eyes, "Ash, you take care of yourself out there. This mission does not end here. As soon as this is over I want your ass back on the Normandy."

"Yes, ma'am," she said.

"Alenko," Shepard turned to him, "I want you to go with Kirrahe while he loads the nuke onto the Normandy. They are going to go over the arming sequence with you and a few servicemen in case I'm not available to arm it."

Alenko nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat, "Aye, aye."

Shepard sat back down, her head in her hands as she thought over the plan. Kirrahe's teams were going to draw the worst of the fire, while her and the rest of her team would only have small resistance getting to the bomb site. The base was so heavily fortified, it was valuable to Saren. Doing this was going to hurt him.

Once they disabled the AA guns and cleared out the bomb site the Normandy would come in. While they set the bomb the Normandy would go back for the salarian teams, and come back in time to pick up the shadow team. Set the timer, be in orbit before it detonated. That was the plan, at least.

"Are you ready, Commander?" Kirrahe asked.

"Whenever you are," she said, standing up.

"Excellent. Just give me a minute to prepare my men," he said, and called for his troops to gather. Shepard's team gathered close as well.

Kirrahe looked his squad up and down, "You all know the mission and what is at stake. I have come to trust each of you with my life, but I have also heard murmurs of discontent. I share your concern. We are trained for espionage. We would be legends, but the records are sealed. Glory in battle is not our way. Think of our heroes: the Silent Step who defeated a nation with a single shot. Or the Ever Alert, who held armies at bay with hidden facts. These giants do not seem to give us solace here, but they are not all that we are. Before the network, there was the fleet. Before diplomacy, there were soldiers. Our influence stopped the rachni, but before that, we held the line. Our information stopped the krogan, but before that, we held the line! Our influence _will_ stop Saren! In the battle today, we will hold the line!"

Kirrahe stepped away from his team and faced Shepard, "Good luck. I hope we will meet again."

"Shadow team, let's get into position," Shepard said.

"What? No heartwarming speech? Where's the motivation, Shepard?" Garrus said in a mocking tone.

"You want motivation? We get killed out there Saren is going to win and doom the whole galaxy," she said flatly, walking ahead of him.

"She's not in the mood," Alenko said quietly to Garrus.

"You don't say?" Garrus muttered back sarcastically.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37 – Saren's Base**

Once Shepard was in position, Kirrahe ordered the three other teams to strike. There was minor geth resistance going into the facility.

"Hello? Hello, someone there?" someone called.

"Prison cells?" Kaidan wondered aloud as they made their way past several small cells. Many held salarians, a few of them were dead, a few hunched over mumbling to themselves. The last one the salarian was still alive and calling out to them.

"Please, let me out! I've been trapped…for days….like a rat…the voices…"

"Calm down," Shepard said. "Were you part of Kirrahe's team?"

"They tried to break me, but they couldn't! I shut it out!" the salarian said.

"Who. Are. You." Shepard said slowly.

"Commando Private Menos Avot of the Third Infiltration Regiment STG, ma'am! Captured while on reconnaissance three days ago. Glad to answer, ma'am!" his posture was rigid, then swayed, "Never any questions from these bastards. Just whispers and poking. I'd have said anything to get out and get some payback. That's not too much to ask, is it? A little payback?"

"He's in no shape to take with us," Garrus said, beginning to override the lock. "But he might be able to get out on his own."

"I just need to get out of here and away from that incessant whispering. They've piped it in for days."

"Wait," Shepard held her hand out to Garrus. "Something isn't right."

"Commander…I think he's being indoctrinated. Like Benezia," Liara said.

"We can't just let him stay here, he's isn't as bad off as the others," Shepard said. "Let him out."

"Yes, leaving me here would be bad. Very bad. It's too small and the noise just won't go away. Whispering is loud, you know?" Private Avot said. "I can help you. I am good at following orders," he said as his cell door slid open. "I should be. When they are repeated over and over…especially when they are so damn simple!"

The private lunged at Shepard. He was light, she grabbed him and threw him off of her. Her pistol fired, right into his abdomen.

"Too late for him," Shepard said quietly. "But we tried. Too late for all of them."

"I thought this place was a breeding facility for Krogan. Why is Saren studying indoctrination here?" Wrex asked.

"It's a huge facility, we might stumble across a lot here," Shepard said. "If we had more time we could search this place for days. But without an army of our own…just have to put it down."

The moved throughout the facility, listening to the reports of the other three teams. Williams was doing good, all of them were. She didn't let herself get too comfortable.

They passed through several labs, and then they were in the offices.

A door slid open, and Shepard targeted an asari huddled under a desk. The asari looked up, realizing she wasn't going to be shot on sight, and slowly stood up. "Please! Don't shoot. I just want to get out of here before it's too late."

"I'm not going to hurt you," Shepard said, lowering her weapon. "Who are you?"

"Rana Thanoptis, neurospecialist. But this job isn't worth dying over. Or worse," she said. "You think the indoctrination only affects prisoners? Sooner or later, Saren will want to dissect my brain, too!"

"So this is more than a breeding facility," Shepard said.

"This level is studying Sovereign's effect on organic minds. At least, that's what I assumed. Saren has kept us in the dark as much as possible."

"You helped him and you don't even know why?" Garrus asked.

"I didn't have the option of negotiating. This position is a little more…permanent than I'd expected. But I can help you. This elevator will give you access to Saren's private labs. I can get you in," she said, walking over to it and activating it. "See? Full access. All of Saren's private files. Are we good? Can I go?"

"I want to know more about what you were studying," Shepard said.

"That ship, Sovereign. It emits some kind of…signal. Undetectable, but its there. I've seen the effects. Saren uses it to influence his followers, to control them. It's called indoctrination. Direct exposure to the signal turns you into a mindless slave, like the salarian test subjects. But there's collateral damage, too."

"Why is Saren researching it? Isn't he the one controlling it?" Alenko asked.

"The signal comes from the ship, it makes us obey Saren, but I don't think he controls it. Not exactly. I think…he's scared it might be affecting him," Rana said. "But Sovereigns signal is too strong. Spend too much time near the ship and you feel it. Like a tingle at the back of the skull. It's like a whisper you can't quite hear. You're compelled to do things but you don't know why. You just obey. Eventually, you just stop thinking for yourself. It happens to everyone here. My first subject was the man I replaced. Now I just want to get out of here before it happens to me."

"I'm going to blow this place to hell and gone. If you want to make it out alive, you'd better start running," Shepard said.

Rana's eyes grew wide, "What! You can't…but I'll never…oh goddess," she cried, and started running.

Wrex rumbled a laugh, "You enjoyed that. Admit it."

"Maybe just a bit," Shepard said, her spirits rising as they got closer to their goal.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38 – Saren's Private Labs**

They went down the elevator Rana had opened, and entered a small area of the facility. Just a few labs, mostly empty. One door locked. Shepard hacked it and went inside.

The room had a high ceiling and stairs that led to a small platform. At the bottom far-end of the room there was something glowing, giving them light.

"It's another beacon," Alenko muttered.

"Liara was right, Saren had another beacon. This might have the missing information," Shepard said, walking to it.

"Shepard, are you sure you want to get close to that thing?" Alenko asked.

"She has to," Liara said. "She must find those missing pieces."

"Last time it knocked her out cold for sixteen hours," Alenko said.

"We're close to the bomb site, we can carry her if that happens," Garrus said.

Shepard tensed as she neared the beacon, and as before it activated once someone was close enough. It grabbed her, lifting her off her feet. At first she wanted to resist what was pouring into her, but her experience taking the Cipher came back and she hesitantly opened her mind to it. Forcing herself to relax as new information ripped through her. She fell to her knees, her eyes closed as she let the newest visions replay. "Nothing," she said. "I still don't understand…I don't know."

"Uh…Commander," Wrex said, looking above them.

The platform above had lit up, and a holograph in bright red was above them. She looked, and slowly went up the stairs to see it better.

"Anyone else have a feeling something bad is about to happen?" Tali said weakly as it became clear what the holograph was, it was an image of the ship they had seen on Eden Prime. Saren's ship. Sovereign.

"You are not Saren," it said.

"This is probably some VI interface," Garrus said.

"Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh. You touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding."

"This isn't a VI," Shepard said, something clicking in her mind, a piece of the puzzle of the vision clicking.

Sovereign continued speaking, "There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you cannot even imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign."

Shepard swallowed, "Sovereign isn't just some Reaper ship Saren found. It's an actual Reaper," Shepard said.

"Reaper? A label created by the Protheans to give voice to their destruction. In the end, what they choose to call us is irrelevant. We simply are."

"The Protheans vanished fifty-thousand years ago. You couldn't have been there. It's impossible," Liara argued.

"Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident. Your lives are measured in years and decades. You wither and die. We are eternal. The pinnacle of evolution and existence. Before us, you are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything."

"Not this time," Shepard said. "There is an entire galaxy of races united and ready to face you."

"Confidence born of ignorance," Sovereign said in its monotone. "The cycle cannot be broken."

"The cycle of extinction," Liara muttered. "The Protheans weren't the first race wiped out by them."

"The pattern has repeated itself more times than you can fathom. Organic civilizations rise, evolve, advance. And at the apex of their glory, they are extinguished. The Protheans were not the first. They did not create the Citadel. They did not forge the mass relays. They merely found them, the legacy of my kind."

"Why construct the mass relays, then leave them for someone to find?" Shepard asked.

"Your civilization is based on the technology of the mass relays, our technologies. By using it, your society develops along the paths we desire. We impose order on the chaos of organic evolution. You exist because we allow it. And you will end because we demand it."

"Why? What do you want? Slaves? Resources?" Shepard asked.

"My kind transcends your very understanding. We are each a nation, independent, free of all weakness. You cannot even grasp the nature of our existence."

"Where are your creators?" Shepard asked.

"We have no beginning. We have no end. We are infinite. Millions of years after your civilization has been eradicated and forgotten, we will endure."

"Where are the rest of the Reapers? Are you the last of them?"

"We are legion. The time of our return is coming. Our numbers will darken the sky of every world. You cannot escape your doom."

Shepard shook her head, "You are just a machine. And machines can be broken."

"Your words are as empty as your future. I am the vanguard of your destruction. This exchange is over."

The holograph faded, and Shepard was about to tell her team to move when her radio beeped. "Commander, we got trouble!" Joker radioed.

"I love bad news," she said tensely.

"That ship, Sovereign? It's moving. I don't know what you did down there, but that thing just pulled a turn that would shear any of our ships in half. It's coming your way and it's coming hard! You need to wrap things up in there, fast."

"Consider it done," Shepard said. "Come on, it's time to blow this place to hell."


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39 – Finishing Virmire**

They got to the control room for the AA gun, disabling them, and to the courtyard of the facility. They cleared the geth and krogan, and radioed Joker.

"Bringing us in, stand clear," Joker said.

Shepard tensed as the Normandy landed and as she helped some servicemen carry the nuke out and place it.

"Bomb is in position, we're all set here," Shepard radioed. "Joker, go pick up the other three teams and meet us back here."

"Aye, aye, Shepard," Joker said, the Normandy lifting and taking off.

"Commander, do you read me?" Williams said.

"The nuke is almost ready, Chief, you need to haul ass and get to the rendezvous point."

"Negative, Commander. The geth have us pinned down, we've taken heavy casualties. We won't make the rendezvous point in time."

"Joker, get them out of there!" Shepard hollered.

"Negative!" Williams shouted back. "It's too hot! You can't risk it. We'll hold them off as long as we…"

The radio cut out, and Shepard felt the color drain from her face.

"Arm that nuke, Alenko," Shepard said.

"Commander, you know explosives better than I do," he said.

"This is why I needed you to be briefed on how to do it. This nuke has to go off. With or without me here."

"Shepard…"

"Wrex, Garrus, with me. We have to help Ashley's team. Once we get them clear we're coming back for your team, Alenko."

Shepard checked her map, going up an elevator to the front of the facility. They were closer to the front than they were the back, now. Fifteen minute run there and back, she guessed, depending on how bad the fighting was. With Wrex and Garrus they could run through quickly. They were the best fighters along with Ashley and Kaidan. They could do this. They had to do this.

"Geth ship! It's over the bomb site," Garrus said as they raced to the front of the facility.

"Commander, we got a geth ship dropping reinforcements. It's bleeding geth all over the bomb site," Alenko said, gunfire being heard over the radio. "There's just too many of them. I'm activating the nuke. We won't be able to hold them until you get back, Commander. We can't risk them damaging the controls. Go get Williams, and get the hell out of here."

"Belay that!" Williams snapped. "We can handle ourselves. Go back and get Alenko."

Shepard's mind calculated. The bomb would detonate in fifteen minutes. Williams was pinned down, they'd have to fight and then run to get to a spot for Normandy to pick them up. Alenko, Liara, and Tali were at the bomb site. Clearing the geth wouldn't be any easier, but they had an open spot for pick up. Higher chance of survival, and more lives at risk. She closed her eyes, imagining walking onto the Normandy without Alenko's presence.

"You know it's the right choice, skipper," Ashley said, as if she already knew what Shepard was thinking.

Shepard was turning back, "Williams…"

"It's been an honor and a pleasure. No regrets," she said. "Get the crew out safely, ma'am."

Shepard banged the back of her head against the wall of the elevator, she would have rather jumped from the roof then wait for the slow descent back to the battlefield. Her omni-tool chirped, and she opened it. Alenko's shields were down and his hard suit damaged. Liara's shields dropping, Tali's taking hits. Her team was in bad shape.

Once the elevator doors slid open at the bottom Shepard, Garrus, and Wrex ran out, and into hundreds of geth.

"Fuel tanks!" Shepard shouted. "Hit the fuel tanks!"

There was a massive explosion as Wrex fired at a fuel tank, the explosion engulfed a dozen geth, throwing several others off balance.

"Shepard, Kirrahe's team is the only one that made the rendezvous, coming back for you. You need to clear me a spot to land," Joker said urgently.

Shepard didn't answer back, blood was pounding in her ears as she fought to where the other half of her team was pinned down.

"Watch out!" Garrus shouted.

Shepard dodged to the right instinctively, and a blast of biotic energy exploded where she had just been. She looked up, eyes wide as she saw Saren on a hovering platform. She shot at him. He prepared another biotic attack, and she turned her heel and ran. She was gathered up in a biotic pull and thrown, landing behind some cover and away from the geth and her team.

He jumped from his platform, walking fearlessly towards her. She got out of cover, firing at him. His shields lit up, nothing got through. She got back behind cover before he could return fire.

"I applaud you, Shepard. My geth were utterly convinced the salarians were the real threat," Saren called to her. "Of course, it was all for nothing. I can't let you disrupt what I have accomplished here. You can't possible understand what's really at stake."

Shepard checked her weapon and called back to him, "Why are you doing this? Enlighten me, Saren."

"You've seen the vision from the beacons, Shepard. You, of all people, should understand what the Reapers are capable of. They cannot be stopped. Do not mire yourself in pointless revolt. Do not sacrifice everything for the sake of petty freedoms. The Protheans tried to fight, and they were utterly destroyed. Trillions dead. But what if they had bowed before the invaders? Would the Protheans still exist? Is submission not preferable to extinction?"

"You can't honestly believe the Reapers will let us live," Shepard said.

"Now you see why I never came forward with this to the Council. We organics are driven by emotion instead of logic. We will fight even when we know we cannot win. But if we work with the Reapers—if we make ourselves useful—think how many lives could be spared! Once I understood this, I joined Sovereign, though I was aware of the…dangers. I had hoped this facility would protect me."

"I know a lot, Saren," Shepard said. "I know you are afraid Sovereign is influencing you. You're afraid he's controlling your thoughts."

"I've studied the effects of indoctrination. The more control Sovereign exerts, the less capable the subject becomes. That is my saving grace. Sovereign needs me to find the Conduit. My mind is still my own…for now. But the transformation from ally to servant can be subtle. I will not let it happen to me."

"Tell me what the Conduit is. Where it is. We can find some way to stop them," Shepard called, looking out of her cover.

"The Conduit is the key to your destruction and my salvation. Sovereign needs my help to find it. That is the only reason I have not been indoctrinated.

Shepard laughed at him, "You idiot! You can't even tell it's happening to you. You should know, when you realize your Sovereign's puppet, it's too late."

"No! Sovereign needs me. If I find the Conduit, I've been promised reprieve from the inevitable. This is my only hope."

"No, it isn't! Together we can stop Sovereign. We don't have to submit to the Reapers. We can beat them!"

"I no longer believe that, Shepard. The visions cannot be denied. The Reapers are too powerful. The only hope of survival is to join with them. Sovereign is a machine. It thinks like a machine. If I can prove my value, I become a resource worth maintaining. There is no other logical conclusion!"

"You were a Spectre. You were sworn to defend the galaxy. Then you broke that vow to save yourself!" Shepard accused him.

"I'm not doing this for myself! Don't you see? Sovereign will succeed. It is inevitable. My way is the only way any of us will survive. I'm forging an alliance between us and the Reapers. Between organics and machines. And in doing so, I will save more lives than have ever existed. But you would undo my work. You would doom our entire civilization to complete annihilation. And for that…you must die."

Saren got back on his hovering platform, something so advanced it had to of come from Sovereign. She got out of cover, dodging his biotic attacks and letting her shields absorb any shots he fired while she tried to wear down his shields. Chasing after him into the messy battle the geth were still fighting against her team.

Saren's platform was low, near the nuke and her team. They had their backs to him, defending the nuke and clearing them out. Shepard ran, leaping into the air and knocking him off the platform, herself with him. They rolled away from each other.

Saren got up first, grabbing Shepard and raising her with one arm by the throat. Her legs kicked, her arms grabbing the arm that held her. A few shots hit Saren's shield, and he glanced to see Alenko taking carefully aimed shots at him. Saren's free hand moved to concentrate a biotic attack and Shepard slugged him. Saren fell back, releasing her. She fell on her knees. She gasped for air, and when she had her weapon in her hand he was on his platform and fleeing.

She walked over to her team, "Joker, we need pick up, now."

"Come on, Alenko," Garrus said, getting his arm under Alenko.

Alenko made a painful noise, she Shepard saw the hole in the abdomen of his armor and the blood pouring out. "Come on. I'm not leaving anyone else behind," Shepard said, getting under his other arm. "Joker! Your ass down here NOW!"

"Coming in, Shepard," Joker said.

The Normandy landed, engines roaring. The team got on, and the Normandy took off immediately.

"Everyone hold on," Joker said. "Never thought I'd have to outrun a nuke before. Things are never simple with you, are they, Shepard?"

Shepard ignored Joker's comment, working with Garrus to get Kaidan a dose of medi-gel to at least slow the bleeding before walking him back to the med bay.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40 – Asking for Help**

Kaidan had his share of injuries over the years, but a shot to the abdomen was never pretty. Chakwas had him patched up and on his feet before Shepard called everyone to the briefing room.

Shepard was the last one there, her eyes resting on the chair Ashley had always taken. To the right of Kaidan.

Kaidan looked at the empty chair, then looked down, "I…I can't believe Ash didn't make it. How could we just leave her down there? I should have been the one leading that team."

"It was my decision," Shepard said numbly. "Either way, how things went down, it would have been the wrong one."

"No…this isn't your fault," Kaidan said suddenly.

"Ashley's blood is on Saren's hands," Shepard said. "Next time I see that son of a bitch…he'll pay." There were a few moments of silence, "All right. The mission was a success. We crippled Saren by taking out that facility, learned more about indoctrination, and a lot more about Sovereign. Does anyone have anything they need to bring up, or say, about the mission?"

"Commander?" Liara said shyly. "I have an idea. The beacon you found at Saren's base was similar to the one you found on Eden Prime. If it had any of those missing pieces, I may be able to help you put those pieces together."

Shepard looked uncomfortable with it, but stood up, "Yeah, go ahead."

Liara met Shepard in the middle of the briefing room, "Relax, Commander. Embrace Eternity!"

They backed away from each other, both of them taking a breath.

"Incredible!" Liara gasped. "I…I never thought the images would be so…I need a moment."

"I still have nothing. Did it make any sense to you?" Shepard asked.

"It's a distress call, a message sent out across the Prothean Empire. A warning against the Reapers, but the warning came too late," Liara said.

Shepard nodded, "I could sense the danger, the urgency of it. What about the Conduit?"

"There were images. Locations. Places I recognized from my research…" Liara's eye lit up, "Ilos! The Conduit is on Ilos! That is why Saren needed to find the Mu Relay. It is the only way to get to Ilos."

"Ilos?" Shepard frowned.

"Without the Cipher the images were never clear. And we were missing what the other beacon had. Only now do I recognize them as landmarks from Ilos."

"We need to get there," Shepard said.

"No," Liara said. "Saren will have his entire fleet orbiting Ilos. We'll never make it down to the surface without reinforcements. You must alert the Council."

Shepard looked around at her crew, her face hard and tense. They were close, they had the very thing they had been looking for in their sights. With the Normandy's stealth systems and their capabilities…could they handle it alone?

Maybe, but which crewmember would be lost to it? Shepard was an expert at leading small covert teams. Fighting an army with a few people, guerilla tactics.

"You're right," Shepard said. "We need more help. Everyone is dismissed. Joker, get us connected to a comm. buoy, I need to contact the Council."

There were a few moments before he got patched through, and several more minutes while she waited for the Councilors to answer.

"Commander Shepard, I'm pleased to see your mission on Virmire was a success," the asari said. "Captain Kirrahe has already sent us his mission report."

"Saren is formidable enough without an army of krogan serving under him," the turian said.

"The krogan would have served Sovereign," Shepard said. "On Virmire we discovered Sovereign _is_ a Reaper."

"Yes…a sentient machine. A true artificial intelligence? This news is alarming…if it turns out to be accurate," the salarian said.

"Sovereign is a Reaper. Saren admitted it," Shepard said.

"He's playing you, Shepard!" the turian barked. "Saren still has contacts on the Citadel. He probably saw your earlier reports. The ones talking about your vision. And the Reapers."

"It's highly possible Saren is using false information to throw you off balance. Our own intelligence has never turned up any corroborating information," the salarian said.

"Sooner or later you're going to have to take something I say on faith, Councilor," Shepard said.

"Try to see this from our perspective, Commander. Saren is a threat we can recognize. However, as far as we know the Reapers only exist in your visions," the asari said calmly.

"Our decisions affect trillions of lives. We cannot act on the accusations of a single person. Even a Spectre. Not without solid evidence," the salarian said.

"The Council cannot take any official action here. That is why we created the Spectres. You have the authority to do what you see fit," the asari said.

"What I see fit to do…is request a fleet," Shepard said. "Saren has found the Mu Relay in the Terminus Systems, from there he plans to go to Ilos. That is where the Conduit is. I've got us this far, Councilors…I need some help now."

The councilors spoke quietly among themselves, then turned back to her, "To organize this we need you to return to the Citadel. This will require a joint-species fleet to be created."

"We'll set course immediately. I want the Normandy at the head of that fleet," Shepard said.

The crew, from the helm to the bottom decks, was quiet as she walked past them. Eventually she gave up and took a seat in the mess. Shepard rested her elbows on the table and cupped her chin in her hands, looking blankly across the empty mess hall. She was there for a few minutes and then said, "Need something?"

Kaidan took a few steps so he was in her line of sight, "Sorry, wasn't sure if…well…"

"Don't tiptoe around me," she said. "I'm pissed we lost Williams, but it isn't the first time it's happened to me."

"She was a great soldier," Kaidan said softly. "She backed those salarians to the end. It'll be fitting tribute to her when the Council sends that fleet in to end this."

Shepard smiled a bit, "Yeah, it will." She took her hands away from her face and leaned back, focusing her eyes on him, "Chakwas fix you up okay?"

"Yeah, nothing too serious," he said.

"Good," she said.

"Rest of the crew is doing well," he said, sitting down across from her. "I got hit the worst, but…you look the worst." She frowned at him, and he pointed at her neck. "I think it's from Saren's chokehold."

"Oh," she said. "Yeah. Good shooting, by the way."

"Well…we knew we were going to lose Ash. Couldn't lose you, too. I don't know if I could handle it if we did."

"Kaidan," Shepard leaned forward, "I wanted you to stay with my team because I knew you…"

"You don't have to explain your decision to me…" he said quickly. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear that she did it to protect him. If Ashley died because of how close he had Shepard had become…he didn't think he could look at Shepard the same way.

"I want to," she said flatly. "I knew you could comprehend arming the nuke. You are my second in command, and if I didn't get to the bombsite I needed to know you would be able to follow through. You were the superior office…in most cases you would have been asked to lead that team. But Ash didn't have the technical experience you do."

"I see your reasoning. I don't question it…or, at least I try not to. You don't always do things by the books, but you do them right and get the job done," he said, feeling a weight lifting off his chest. "I…I've never met a woman like you."

"I bet you say that to all your Commanding Officers," she said with a smirk.

He laughed, glad to see some life come back into her face. "Well, ever since I heard the captain's mess gets better food," he joked back. He took a deep breath. Things had gotten tense down there. If one thing had been done differently…all of them might have died down there. And soon they would be leading a fleet to Ilos, they were going to finish this. "But, seriously, no bull, Shepard. I want to follow through with this. It's tough keeping it separated from duty. But when the mission's complete, it'll be different. At least I hope so."

"I am definitely in agreement," Shepard said.

"Commander, we'll be docking on the Citadel in five minutes," Joker announced.

"Damn…I lost track of time," Shepard muttered. "Joker, alert the ground team. Any that want to join me at the Council meeting can come with. If they don't I need everyone to stay on this ship. This is not a leave, this is mission related."


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41 – Back on the Citadel**

Only Kaidan and Liara wanted to go with Shepard to see the Council. They made their way from the dock to the Presidium, and then to the Citadel Tower.

Ambassador Udina was there waiting for her and brought her up to the platform to address the Council. "Good job, Shepard. Thanks to you, the Council's finally taking real action against Saren!" Udina said in hushed excitement.

"The ambassador is correct. If Saren is foolish enough to attack the Citadel—as we believe—we will be ready for him," the asari Councilor said.

"Patrols are stationed at every mass relay linking Citadel Space to the Terminus Systems," the turian said proudly.

"Wait…no!" Shepard stepped forward. "A blockade isn't going to stop him. He's on Ilos looking for the Conduit right now! What are you doing about that?"

"Ilos is only accessible through the Mu Relay, deep inside the Terminus Systems, Commander. If we send a fleet in there the only possible outcome is full-scale war," the salarian said.

Udina looked at Shepard, "Now is the time for discretion, Commander. Saren's greatest weapon was secrecy. Exposed, he is no longer a threat. This is over."

"No," Shepard shook her head. "If Saren finds the Conduit we're all screwed! We have to go to Ilos!"

"Ambassador Udina, I get the sense that Commander Shepard isn't willing to let this go," the turian said.

Udina straightened and pointed a finger at her, "There are serious political consequences here, Shepard. Humanity's made great gains thanks to you. But now you're becoming more trouble than you're worth."

"You bastard! You're selling us out!" Kaidan snapped.

Udina looked away, "It's just politics, Commander. You've done your job, now let me do mine. I'm locking out all the Normandy's primary systems. Until further notice, you're grounded."

Shepard's hands began to shake with rage, "Are you insane? After everything I've done you still don't believe me!?"

"I think it's time for you and your team to leave, Commander. This no longer concerns you. The Council can handle this. With my help, of course," Udina said proudly.

Shepard shook her head, searching for the words and then swallowing them down. Shepard stormed out of the Tower, back to the Normandy, with Kaidan and Liara barely keeping up.

"Hey, Shepard…weirdest thing, we've been grounded…you know…" Joker called as she came through the airlock, she ignored him completely. "Uh…someone want to fill me in?"

Alenko looked at Shepard rushing past the CIC, and at Joker. He asked Liara to notify the other team members that were in the lower decks while he stopped behind Joker's chair and told him what the Council and Udina had done.

Shepard made it to the crew's quarters, pacing back and forth as she thought. The Council lured her back to the Citadel…and instead of sending a fleet to Ilos they positioned fleets around Mass Relays. They separated and weakened their power. If Saren came back through a relay with his geth…how would that turn out? How could they not even let her, alone, attempt to go after the Conduit? Without knowing what the hell it was…it could be anything. Obviously important, Saren had been working on finding it for years. Instead she had been betrayed. Used and betrayed. Used to further Udina's political power, and then betrayed when the Council decided their method was the wiser one.

She let out a frustrated cry and kicked one of the lockers. She cast an angry look at the person she heard coming down the steps, and let it go when she saw it was Kaidan. She kicked the locker again, then rested her back against it and let her knees give out so she was sitting on the floor. Then she hit the back of her head against the already dented locker.

"Commander?" Kaidan stepped forward, "I'm sure there is a way to appeal. We're under Alliance authority, after all. Not the Councils."

"I'm not sure if I'm in the mood to talk right now," she said.

"Sorry…Commander, I…"

"Wait," she said, "Kaidan, I'm sorry. It's not you, you know that. It's…just I could cheerfully toss every Council member out of the airlock right now. Throw Udina in there too, no chance of getting his lips removed from their asses in time."

"So that's it, huh? We just walk away? We let them win and damn us all? Where do you think the best view will be when the Reapers roll through? If we have to sit it out, may as well get a good seat."

"We're out of the game for now," she said. "I just…need you to be there while I figure something out."

"You know you can count on me or any of the crew, Commander."

She hit her head against the locker again, "Come on, Kaidan. I can get a salute from anyone on this ship. I'm reaching out for a little personal support, so you can cut the 'good soldier' crap."

He smiled a bit, "Yeah, well…I always leave a way out. You know that. I'm here for you. But we're in a rough spot, and the last thing I want to do is muddy things. Like it was all that clear to begin with." He frowned now, "I mean, are we the pride of the fleet or not? Are we valued agents, or just peons?"

Shepard sighed, "You just can't pull out a good old-fashioned 'it'll be all right' can you?"

"It's that easy, huh?" he chuckled. "Okay, then. Everything will be fine." He met her eyes, and she smiled a bit. "You'll figure it out, Andromeda."

"Andy," she corrected. "I hate being called Andromeda."

"Andy," he said.

She let out a breath, "I'm so sick of it. We're out here risking our asses, our lives, while the politicians kiss ass and play us. Might be time to take a little initiative."

"You have something up your sleeve, Shepard?" Kaidan asked, then laughed. "What am I saying? When don't you? That's what I lo—appreciate about you."

She smiled at him, "Careful. When this is over I might pay more attention to what you say."

"Oh, so it's back to business after playing me. You're something else, you know?" he laughed.

She sighed, "I guess if anything, this leaves us some downtime to figure out what we are, huh?"

She moved to get to her feet, and he held out his hand to her. She took it and he pulled her up and to him, putting his free arm around her waist. They were just inches from each other, a small smile on both their lips as they began to close in. A little over two months of long looks and casual flirting, frustration over the regs and the importance of the mission behind them. She put her hand on his shoulder, leaning towards him. Kaidan could feel his heart thudding against his rib cage, it was wrong, but he was slowly leaning towards her. Anxious. Someone could walk in on them. She could walk away from him. After all they had been through, was it too much to ask for just this one moment?

Joker turned on the intercom, deciding the silence he heard from the crew's quarters meant that he wasn't going to hear anything else good for a while. "Sorry to interrupt, Commander. Got a message from Captain Anderson."

Kaidan grimaced as Shepard pulled away at the sound of Joker's voice. They released each other and took a step back. "Were you spying on us, Joker?" she asked, a rough edge to her voice.

"No, ma'am," he lied. "Just knew you were on the ship and thought I should pass the message along. He said he wants to meet you at Flux, it's a bar in the wards."

"I'll be on my way shortly," Shepard said.

"You want backup?" Kaidan asked.

"Yeah," she said. "I'm still pretty pissed off. If I try and take a run for Udina's office I need you to stop me before I kill him."

"Can I at least watch you rough him up a bit, first?" Kaidan asked as he fell into step behind her.

"I'm okay with assault, let's just avoid attempted murder," she smiled back at him. "Damn, cracking jokes while my command is on the line."

"Part of your charm," Kaidan said, his voice teasing.

Shepard ordered the rest of the crew to stay docked, and went to Flux with Kaidan.

She found Anderson sitting at a table, and sat across from him while Kaidan stayed a few feet back. "I'm glad you came, Shepard. I heard what happened."

"Maybe you know how bad it really is," Shepard said. "Any word on what they are planning to do with me after they release the Normandy?"

"You'll have a lot of advocates on your side. Probably lose your Spectre status, maybe be demoted within the Alliance, or just prevent further promotion," Anderson said. "That is…if you sit and do nothing. I tried to send out a message to warn you, but Udina blocked me. Son of a bitch," he growled. "I know you are pissed right now, but you can't give up. They all think this is over, but we both know it's not. You have to go to Ilos. You have to stop Saren from using the Conduit," Anderson said with quiet urgency.

"There is only one ship that can get me into the Terminus Systems undetected, and she's grounded," Shepard said.

"Citadel control's locked out all the Normandy's systems. But if I override the ambassador's orders we can get them to bring the Normandy back online," Anderson said. "You can be in the Terminus Systems before anyone even knows you're gone."

Shepard shook her head, almost amused that her captain was talking about this. "If we steal the Normandy, you're the one left holding the bag."

"And if Saren finds the Conduit, life as we know it is over. The Reapers will destroy us. Humans, asari, everybody! You're the only one who can stop him, Shepard. So I'll do whatever it takes to get you and the Normandy off this station."

"That is mutiny," she hissed back at him, realizing he was serious. "My crew won't go for that."

Anderson scoffed, "The Normandy is your ship now, Commander. Your crew will follow you to the end of the galaxy. We both know that."

Shepard weighed it in her mind. Sitting and doing nothing was never her style. It had been torture searching blindly for Saren all those weeks. Sitting back while she knew where he was, what he was doing, where she had to go to stop him…

But if they stole the Normandy and the Council played it right, caught Saren as he attempted to get through a Mass Relay…she and her whole crew would be court-martialed, jailed. Forget losing her command and career, she'd be a prisoner the rest of her life.

She could protect her crew, though. Claim she coerced or threatened them, lied to them that they had been granted access to leave and continue their mission. She and Anderson would be the only ones to fall.

She nodded once, "I won't forget this, Captain. I promise."

He leaned forward, "I can unlock the Normandy from one of the consoles in the Citadel control center. You'll only have a few minutes before anyone realizes what's happened."

"Wait a minute," Kaidan stepped forward. "That's a restricted area, protected by armed guards. How are you going to get in?"

"Just leave that to me," Anderson said.

"No, he's right…he's eavesdropping, but he's right," Shepard said, and Kaidan fell back a few steps. "It's too dangerous, you'll get yourself killed. That leaves me with a dead friend, and the Council believing I talked you into helping me."

"Well…Udina issued the lockdown order. If I can hack into the computer in his office, maybe I can override it. Hopefully he won't be there. If he is…I'll just have to think of something. We don't have a lot of options."

"Go for Udina's office," Shepard said. "He's not going to let this slide. The moment you are caught you're going to be arrested for treason, Cap."

Anderson straightened up, "Shepard, if we're right and you succeed, I don't think those charges will stick. If you fail, we'll all be dead anyways. And if we're wrong, then we deserve to be in prison."

She shook his hand, "Good luck, sir."

"Get your ass down to the Normandy and tell Joker to standby."

Kaidan's heart was thumping in his chest as he kept up with Shepard, a nervous and urgent walk. Years of Alliance training told him it was wrong, illegal, he'd lose everything if it didn't work out.

They were in the elevator, a long way up to the docking bay. "Kaidan…if this doesn't work you…"

"I'm with you, Commander," he said. "I know I can walk away from this. I don't have deniability, I was there."

"If you get the option to deny it, do it," she said, her voice a hard order.

They burst through the Normandy airlock, ordering Kaidan to inform their team while she rushed to Joker's side. "Joker, are you with me?"

"What?"

"Simple question. If there was any way to get this bird in the air…a chance for us to go after Saren…"

"You're stealing the ship, aren't you?" he guessed, bringing up consoles. "When is the lockdown being lifted?"

Shepard narrowed her eyes at him, "That's it? No resistance?"

"Commander, I'm _your_ pilot. I go where you tell me to. And I want to be there when you take that son of a bitch down."

"Any minute now," Shepard said. "Pressley! We need the quickest route to Ilos, on the double!"

"Already set," Pressley said, walking from the CIC to the cockpit. "Everyone is with you, Commander. Let's finish what we started on Eden Prime."

Shepard couldn't hide the grin on her face, even as she watched the consoles with her breath held. "C'mon, Cap."

Captain Anderson ignored the embassy secretary, and barged into Udina's office. Udina looked up from his computer, "Anderson? What are you doing here? I didn't send for…"

Anderson was right next to him, and slugged Udina right in the jaw. Udina, never having been in a fight in his life, fell over immediately. Anderson pushed him out of his chair and took over his computer.

Shepard let out a breath as the lockdown was lifted, "Let's go! Get us out of here, Joker. Now!"

"I can't believe we stole the Normandy!" Pressley said, almost giddy. "I know we'll all be court-martialed if this doesn't work out. But part of me loves it!"

"No sign of pursuit," Joker said. "I was hoping the Council would send some ships after us. I was looking forward to putting the Normandy through its paces. Figured I'd get to see what this ship can really do."

"This isn't a game, Joker. If they catch us Saren wins. Then we're all dead."

"I bet you were the life of the party, weren't you?" Joker smirked.

"Don't worry, Joker. Maybe we'll get a chance to play hide and seek with Sovereign."

"You know, it doesn't seem like much fun when you say it, Commander."

"How long until we hit the Mu Relay?" Shepard asked.

"About six hours," Joker said. "Ilos is a half hour cruise from the Relay."

"So much time lost," she muttered. "Keep me updated."

Shepard went to the crew deck, everyone was quietly working. "Commander," Chakwas said, coming out of her medical bay. "I trust you, and I'm going to be here for you. This whole crew is putting their lives, and their futures, in your hands. Don't let them down."

"I'm going to do my best, doc," she promised.

Shepard called her team into the briefing room, Ashley's seat remaining ceremoniously empty. "This is going to be the last briefing we hold on Saren," she said, standing in the middle and turning slowly to look at all of them. "Because once we hit Ilos, it's over. If Saren beats us to the Conduit, which he very well may have already, we're going to fight him for it. We'll either succeed, or we're going to die trying. We're on our own now. If anyone…anyone at all, can't accept that…you can stay on the Normandy. I can't guarantee that will even be safe once we get there, but it's your choice."

"No one is backing down, Shepard," Garrus said. "If you're wrong, we know we'll pay for it. But if you're right and we did nothing…we'd end up regretting it a whole lot more."

"You'll get us through, Shepard," Wrex rumbled.

"I'm glad you think so. Everyone else says I'm crazy," Shepard said.

"Sometimes crazy is the best way to go," Wrex said, chuckling to himself.

"We are fugitives from the law," Tali said. "I wonder what the Council will do to us if we get caught."

"The Normandy is the best ship in the fleet. They won't catch us," Shepard said.

"Saren will pay," Liara said quietly, confidently. "This is bigger than all of us, we are not going to sit and wait for our own destruction."

"It's always nice to know I'm not the only crazy person," Shepard said. "We're sitting at five and a half hours to the Mu Relay. I want everyone sharp. Rest, get a good meal. Be ready. Anything you have to do to prepare yourselves…do it. I don't ask for your help lightly. You guys are my friends. We've been through a lot together. We've learned a lot from each other. We all had our own reasons to join this fight. Remember what yours was. Everyone is dismissed."


	42. Chapter 42

**I would just like to say thank you for everyone who has added the story to your favorites and story alerts. The ME2 portion of this story is coming along very nicely (I think so, at least), and I'm slowing down posting these chapters to give myself more time to get ahead. This chapter was the reason I thought the story needed an 'Mature' rating, but...after reading it over and reading other stories posted, I think I can safely drop it down to 'Teen'. Hope you continue to enjoy**

**Chapter 42 – The Night Before Ilos**

Kaidan bowed his head, taking a deep breath as he thought over her words. He doubted he'd be able to get any sleep, not with his heart pounding like it was. He looked at Ashley's empty seat to his right, and Shepard's empty seat to his left. He stood up and walked out of the briefing room.

Shepard went to her cabin, and sat at her terminal. There had been a few missions in the past where the odds and the unknown concerned her. She never took her mortality for granted, but she didn't really fear dying. But she still had things she did to prepare when the odds of returning seemed slim. She had a message to send out to an old friend.

_Hey, Doris;_

_Sorry I didn't get a chance to stop in during my last leave, it got cut short. Still doing good work. I hope everything is going well at Saint Ann, and next chance I get I'm going to stop in. Promise. Reason I'm writing though, I'm going over some paperwork for the Alliance. I just wanted to make sure you still had my information. You are the closest thing to family I have, my only beneficiary. Just standard stuff, nothing you need to worry about. They make us recheck every few years. Anyway, it's all in the attached file in case you lost it. I'll see you soon—Andy_

Shepard looked at the screen with a blank stare, few accounts she had along with her Alliance life insurance would go to Doris if she died. There was a possibility that she forfeited that with the mutiny, but anything she had deserved to go to Doris and the orphanage. Although there was also a good chance that if she died, Doris wasn't going to get a chance to put any money left to good use…being invaded by Reapers was probably going to put a real damper on the economy.

The door to her cabin slid open, and she turned to look. "Commander?" Alenko said. "You have a moment?"

She stood up, "I suppose the Alliance does have to catch us before they can strip me of my rank. What do you need?"

He stepped into her quarters and let the door slide closed behind him, and she flipped a switch on the wall to turn the ships intercom on private so what they said couldn't be heard in the cockpit. "I don't want to speak out of turn. I mean, I hope we're close enough after everything we've said already. What happens if this doesn't work out, Andy? We mutinied. Stole a prototype warship. If they wanted to get technical, they could throw in kidnapping. We're a hell of an example of humanity's best and brightest, huh?"

"I'm just here to get the job done, someone else can be on the poster," she smirked. "And I don't know about the 'example' part. But as far as saving the galaxy, how good are first-timers supposed to be? But I keep telling myself we're doing the right thing. Not sure if I believe me, yet."

"If I didn't think you were doing the right thing, I wouldn't be here," he said, casually moving towards her. "It'll really hit the fan when we get to Ilos. If things don't go well, I want you to know that I've enjoyed serving under you."

"Kaidan, you stopped being a subordinate a long time ago. Why are you still hesitating?" she asked softly, searching his face. "After all we've been through together? What are you afraid of?"

"I don't know. I mean, the regs against fraternization seem kind of petty now. Taking a stolen ship to face a giant extragalactic war machine sort of shadows it. We'd only get drummed out of the service for fraternization. We'll probably get the firing squad for mutiny. But you know what? You're right. About everything. I think about losing you and I can't stand it," he confessed. "The galaxy will just keep going. Everything, even the Reapers, will come around again. But you and I, we are important right now. This is what will never happen again. Us. Andy, you make me feel…human." He watched her face, his heart thudding in his chest. He had confessed to her, and left himself no easy way out if she decided it was wrong. For the past several years he hadn't been much more than a soldier. He hadn't forgotten that there was life outside the Alliance, he always remembered what he was fighting for. Now, for the first time in a long time, he wanted to think of something beyond the Alliance.

"Bunk here tonight, Kaidan. With me," she said quietly, stepping just a bit closer to him.

His hand twitched, ready to reach out for her, but he stopped. Giving her a sarcastic smile, "Is that an order, Commander?" he asked.

"No games, Kaidan," she said, managing a smile. "This isn't how I'd expected things turn out. At the end of this we'll either be prisoners, dead, or heroes. You're special to me, Kaidan. And I don't say that lightly."

His hand touched her waist and moved his hand around to her back. He had every intention of moving slowly, but his body took over, pulling them together tightly. Her hands gripped his neck, bringing his lips to hers.

She had expected hesitation, or him to become clumsy like he sometimes was with his words. At worst, for him to gain his senses and stop. But his lips moved against hers confidently, his arms holding her tight against him as if he wanted to prevent her escape.

The kiss felt urgent, but for both of them it was just long overdue. The attraction had been there since they met. Building up as they learned more about each other, spent time with one another.

She grabbed his shirt in her fist, pulling it up. His grip around her waist let go to grab the hem of his shirt and pull it over his head, but then he had her in his arms again, pressing her body against his bare torso. Her hands touched his bare shoulder and bicep, his body was hard and built to Alliance specifications. Warm and comforting.

His fingers grabbed the bottom of her shirt, one hand pulling it up while the other explored the smooth skin of the small of her back. She raised her arms, and following her lead he pulled her shirt off for her.

Slowly he walked backwards until the back of his legs reached the small bed. He sat down slowly, his hands and lips moving down her body.

"These damn boots," she laughed, holding onto him for balance while she tried to slip her foot out of the boot while he worked on unbuckling her pants and his lips touched her firm stomach.

She stepped out of her pants and gently pushed him back on the bed. He had already gotten his boots off, now they were helping each other with his pants. Once that was done he moved himself further back on the bed. She crawled up to him, their eyes meeting and their lips smiling. Neither of them were backing down from this, not this time. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled her onto her back. Holding her there so he could kiss her again.

The kiss may have been hard and fast at first, nearly desperate, but he was determined to remember everything about these moments and make them last, let the pleasure be slow and torturous. He wanted to forever keep in his memory the smell of her hair, the feel of her skin, the taste of her mouth, the look on her face, the sounds she made. How her legs curled around his waist, her body moving with his rhythm, letting him lead.

Whatever happened when they reached Ilos, he knew this wouldn't make their mission failing any less tragic. It was either succeed or die. He just wanted to show her how he felt. As his Commander he believed if there was a way to succeed, she would find it. He had told her that every way possible and at that moment it didn't even matter. As a woman, he wanted her to know that he loved every part of her.

Shepard's breaths were quick, her hands on the side of his face and holding his lips to hers as they finished. She didn't want to let him go, yet. How he had made her feel, the comforting weight and warmth of his body, his presence, it was something hard to let go of.

She rested her back against his chest, his arms holding her to him and her hands holding his arms in place. Listening to her breathe, feeling her heart beating next to his. She drifted off to sleep, but he couldn't. Didn't want to. He wanted every minute he got with her, content to watch her sleep if that was what she needed. Just feel her against him, temporarily safe.

Her beauty had attacked him at first. First she was just another beautiful woman. But no one could compare to her, now. Cream-colored skin, that bright red hair and those vivid green eyes…even her freckles. How she handled Eden Prime had earned his respect. How she treated him and the rest of the crew earned his loyalty. Her creativity and slightly unstable bravery in battle, how she lost her temper without a gun in her hand and how she held it in when the gun was aimed. Her occasional sharp comments, her teasing smile.

She damn near perfect in his mind. And tonight, she was his.

Shepard woke up suddenly after only two hours, ripping herself from Kaidan's arms to a sitting position, her feet on the floor and her body trembling. He sat up himself, concerned. He checked the time, they still had two hours until they reached the Mu Relay.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She took a few breaths, "Just that damn thing in my head. Sorry," she said. "Whenever I sleep I can't keep it out."

"Anything I can do?" he asked, putting his hand on her bare back.

"Pretty sure the only thing that will stop it is either time or a bullet to the head."

He put his arms around her and pulled her back so she was leaning against his chest, "Afraid I can't do that. Any extra time we have, I want it. And I like your brains intact and where they are."

He felt her chest expand with a sigh, "You're a great guy, Kaidan."

"I'm whatever you need. A shoulder, or an ear, or a soldier in battle…"

"Let's pretend we're not on a warship, or soldiers," she interrupted. "For at least another hour."

"I can do that," he said, his fingertips running up and down her thigh. "You want to try and get some more sleep?"

"No, I'm alright. You tired?"

"No," he said, kissing the back of her neck.

She closed her eyes at the touch. This wasn't how she expected things with Kaidan to go. It exceeded her expectations, in some ways. She had been emotionally invested in him before, more so now. She could disconnect that in battle, she was sure of it. But if afterwards…if it didn't go well, it was going to hurt like nothing else she had ever experienced. At the same time she thought if she had lost her chance, there would be regrets. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. For the longest time the Alliance had dominated her life, she just wanted this short break. She may never have another chance. Damn the consequences.

She turned in his arms, kissing his mouth slowly. His hands resting gently on her back, his fingertips traveling up and down her spine, making her body tingle.

_--At the helm--_

Joker yawned as he watched the console, seeing Shepard's cabin was still blocked from listening capabilities. "I think this is a hazard. It should be removed," he said. "What if she fell in her shower and broke her neck?"

"Shepard would crawl to the infirmary with her tongue," Garrus said. "Why are you so interested, Joker? Is your life really that boring?"

"Now that you mention it, yes. Nearly my whole job is looking at flashing buttons. And every now and then, I press one."

"So you just listen in on random conversations all over the ship?" Tali asked. "That sounds…wrong."

"You wouldn't believe some of the things going on here," Joker chuckled. "Come on, you two have come up to say 'hi' to me, what…three times the past two months? Anyone who comes up to talk to me is doing it because they have to. Shepard is the only one who actually makes an effort to come up and chat once a day. So I have to listen to the Normandy crew to find out what the hell is going on past the bathroom. I'm sure as hell not walking down those stairs to find out myself."

"You are a sad, lonely little man," Garrus said slowly.

"Figures. Try and share your interests and people just go off making assumptions," Joker muttered. "Shouldn't you two be…I don't know…doing something?"

"Well, we are too anxious to sleep," Tali said. "We are ready as soon as we hit the Relay. Just…anxious."

Joker gave her a sympathetic smile, "Relax, Tali. You've seen Shepard in action, and this ship in action. We're doing this."

"I'm going to go help Wrex check the equipment," Garrus said, leaving the cockpit.

"So glad he's gone," Joker breathed.

"You don't like Garrus?"

"The guy has a pole up his ass. Probably from all the C-Sec bull he had to put up with," Joker commented.

"But you've barely talked to him."

"I've listened," Joker smirked.

"What is your opinion of me, then?"

"Well you seem nice, Tali. Enthusiastic, we don't see that too much."

"I still think listening in on everyone is wrong," she said, and looked around. "Anyone talking on engineering deck?"

"Let's see," Joker said, pressing some buttons.


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43 – Almost to Ilos**

Shepard and Alenko were dressed, standing next to the door. There was only ten minutes until they hit the Mu Relay, they both had things that needed to be prepared and they had let things linger longer than they should have. "I swear, if anything happens to you…" he said in a low voice.

"You'll…carry on," Shepard said. "It won't be easy if this mission doesn't go as planned, for either of us. We have to get back into the Alliance mindset. Our duty comes first. I don't want to lose you, Kaidan. As my Lieutenant…or as this."

"This can't change anything," he said in agreement. "This is the finest crew I've ever been with."

"Exactly," she nodded. "Just be careful out there."

He kissed her one last time. When the kiss ended he rested his forehead against hers, "Aye, aye, Commander."

She laughed, "You like saying that, don't you?"

"Yes, ma'am," he smiled.

She sighed, letting one last embrace linger before kissing his cheek and parting from him and opening the door to her cabin. The mess hall was empty, though neither of them cared about the crew starting rumors at this point. Kaidan went to his station, making some final preparations.

Shepard went to the cockpit, "How is everything, Joker?"

"Fine," he said. "Just hanging out with Tali. She is such a sweet girl."

Shepard looked between the two of them, "What have you been up to?"

"Just talking," Tali said innocently.

"Are we coming up on the Mu Relay?" Shepard asked.

"Will be in the next few minutes, good timing. I wanted to keep you informed but…you had your privacy engaged."

"You know that only stops you from listening in, it doesn't stop you from sending in a message, right?"

"Of course I know that."

"Then why does it matter?"

"Uh…um…oh look, Mass Relay!"

Shepard shook her head, but wasn't going to press the issue further.

They hit the Mu Relay, and entered the Hax system. In this system was Ilos.

"Commander, we have company," Joker warned. "Geth ships."

"Have they picked us up on their sensors?" Tali asked.

"Stealth systems are engaged. Unless we get close enough for a visual they won't have any clue that we're here," Joker said proudly.

"I got some strange readings from the planet's surface," Pressley said. "Pretty sure that's Saren."

"Take us down, Joker. Lock on to those coordinates," Shepard ordered.

"Negative on that, Commander," Pressley said. "The nearest landing zone's two clicks away."

"We won't make it in time on foot. We need something closer," Shepard said.

"There is nowhere closer! I've looked," Pressley barked back.

"Drop us in the Mako," Shepard said.

"You need at least a hundred meters of open terrain to pull off a drop like that. The most I can find near Saren is twenty," Pressley said.

"Twenty meters? No way we can make a drop in there," Tali said.

"We have to try!" Shepard countered.

"The descent angle is too steep," Tali said.

"It's our only option," Shepard said calmly.

"It's not an option! It's a suicide run!" Tali argued.

"I can do it," Joker interrupted them.

Shepard gave him a hard stare, "Joker?"

"I can do it," he said again.

"Gear up and head down to the Mako. Joker, drop us right on top of that bastard," Shepard said, patting his shoulder and running to get ready.

"Liara, can you tell us anything about Ilos?" Kaidan asked as they waited for everyone to get settled.

"Not much, I'm afraid. A lot of Prothean ruins have made references to it, images of it, that sort of thing. But since the Mu Relay has been lost it hasn't been explored in thousands of years, if at all," Liara said.

"Winging it, I love it," Shepard said, jumping into the Mako. "Everyone strap in, this is going to be a rough drop."


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44 - Ilos**

Saren had an army of geth walking with him. He had arrived in Ilos a few hours ago, but he had to take the landing zone far away from where he had to go. He looked up as he heard an aircraft, a low growl rising in his throat as he recognized the Normandy. And there was a bit if nervous fear as he watched it drop a rover.

"Get inside, now!" he ordered his geth. The tunnel he would be descending could be closed off, and that was what he was doing now. Foot thick stone doors began to slide closed.

The Mako dropped hard in the short space, and Alenko slammed the breaks as the stone doors finished sliding. The last thing they saw was Saren's electric-blue eyes mocking them.

"Son of a…" Shepard hit the dashboard. "We have to get inside this bunker."

"Saren found a way to open it. There must be some kind of security override somewhere to this complex," Kaidan said. "Maybe that is what took Saren so long."

Shepard looked around, grimacing slightly as broken parts of the vision flashed across her eyes. "This way," she said.

"You saw something…you understand something," Liara gasped. "What? What?"

"I have no idea," she said.

Above the bunker was a building, it didn't lead into the tunnels Saren was in, but it was part of it nonetheless. They had to go halfway around to reach a ramp that took them to the next level. Inside were a few geth, perhaps left by Saren as a precaution or just left behind on accident.

"We don't have time to mess around," Wrex rumbled.

"Yeah, Saren's already got a head start. We have to go find him before he reaches the Conduit," Garrus agreed.

"Unless he's already found it. Then we're just walking into a trap," Tali muttered.

Shepard put a hand up to silence them, walking up to an ancient but not completely unfamiliar terminal. A hologram interface opened for her, and she worked with it a few moments.

"Something's happening!" Liara gasped.

A holographic interface, similar to a VI, popped up. It didn't have a form, it was broken, badly damaged.

There was static and some chatter, then a few things got through. "Too late…unable to….invading fleets….no escape…"

"Sounds like some kind of message. But my translator isn't recognizing the language," Garrus said.

"It must be Prothean. No wonder we can't understand it," Tali said.

"Liara?" Shepard turned to her.

"I'm afraid I've never been able to study the Prothean language, no one has."

"You mean…you didn't understand it?" Shepard asked.

"How could I?" Liara asked, tilting her head.

"I can," Shepard said, looking a bit worried.

"That's incredible!" Liara exclaimed. "The Cipher must have transferred an understanding of the Prothean language into your mind! But…hm, why not mine?"

"We don't have time to guess," Shepard said.

"Well! What's it saying?" Kaidan asked urgently.

They all stood still, listening to the bursts of static and unintelligible chatter for a few moments, and then it shut off.

"It's badly damaged. It said something about the Conduit, but it's too degraded to help. Mostly a warning about the Reaper invasion. Waste of time, we should go," Shepard said.

"Which way?" Wrex asked.

Shepard looked around, and pointed, "This way."

They came across another console, "This is it," Liara said. "This is the same kind of controls on Therum."

"Opening the bunker doors," Shepard said. "Let's get back down there."

Back where they had left the Mako the stone doors were open, and were leading down what appeared to be a long tunnel.

"I think we should take the Mako in," Garrus said.

"Good idea, the extra firepower will be useful," Shepard said.

The tunnel went underground for a bit, then leveled out for a long time, maybe a full kilometer.

"No geth. Saren must be keeping them with him," Wrex rumbled.

"Or setting up an ambush around the next corner," Kaidan suggested.

"Hey, what are those containers on the walls?" Tali asked.

Liara looked through the window, "They look like stasis pods. Protheans probably tried to keep themselves alive through cryogenic freezing," Liara suggested.

Another kilometer and their path was suddenly blocked by a barrier curtain, like the curtain Liara had been trapped behind on Therum.

"Can we blow it?" Kaidan asked.

"Doubtful," Liara said as they rolled to a stop just a few meters away from it.

"I didn't see any way around it on the way here," Garrus said.

"We're going to have to try," Shepard said. "Turn us around, Kaidan."

"Um…Commander, we're trapped. Another barrier is behind us."

Shepard got out of the Mako, looking at the short section of tunnel they were trapped in.

"Saren must have set an ambush," Wrex rumbled, jumping out of the Mako.

"I don't think Saren is behind this," Shepard said, her eyes falling on an old ancient door. She took a few steps near it, and it opened.

"I don't like this," Tali said.

Shepard stepped through the doorway, "An elevator," Shepard called. "I'm taking it."

"Not alone," Garrus said, falling into step behind her protectively.

"I still think this is a trap," Wrex grumbled, stepping into the elevator with everyone else.


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45 - Vigil**

The elevator moved after everyone was inside, descending to a lower level. When the elevator opened there was a long platform that led to a console with a holographic VI interface, the same one they had seen above. Still damaged, no real form to it.

"You are not Prothean," it said. "But you are not machine, either. This eventuality was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent our warning through the beacons."

"It's some kind of VI program, but it's pretty badly damaged," Tali noted.

"I do not sense the taint of indoctrination on any of you. Unlike the other that passed recently. Perhaps there is still hope."

"Wait a minute…I can understand him now," Liara said, excited.

"So can I," Garrus said flatly, killing and confusing her excitement.

"I have been monitoring your communications since you arrived at this facility. I have translated my output into a format you will comprehend," it explained. "My name is Vigil. You are safe here, for the moment. But that is likely to change. Soon, nowhere will be safe."

"Why did you trap us here?" Shepard asked.

"You must break a cycle that has continued for millions of years. But to stop it, you must understand. Or you will make the same mistakes we did. The Citadel is the heart of your civilization and the seat of government. As it was with us, and as it has been with every civilization that came before us. But the Citadel is a trap. The station is actually an enormous Mass Relay. One that links to dark space, the empty void beyond the galaxy's horizon. When the Citadel relay is activated, the Reapers will pour through. And all you know will be destroyed."

"Oh god," Shepard gasped. "The Reapers can wipe out the Council and the entire Citadel Fleet in a single surprise attack!"

"That was our fate. Our leaders were dead before we even realized we were under attack. The Reapers seized control of the Citadel and through it, the mass relays. Communication and transportation across our empire were crippled. Each star system was isolated, cut off from the others. Easy prey for the Reaper fleets. Over the next decades the Reapers systematically obliterated our people. World by world. System by System."

"Some of you must have managed to survive," Shepard said.

"Through the Citadel the Reapers had access to all our records, maps, census data. Information is power and they knew everything about us. Their fleets advanced across every settled region of the galaxy. Some worlds were utterly destroyed. Others were conquered, their populations enslaved. These indoctrinated servants became sleeper agents under Reaper control. Taken in as refugees by other Protheans, they betrayed them to the machines. Within a few centuries the Reapers had killed or enslaved every Prothean in the galaxy. They were relentless, brutal, and absolutely thorough."

"What do I need to do? How do I stop them?"

"The Conduit is the key. Before the Reapers attacked, we Protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries behind the mass relay technology. Ilos was a top secret facility. Here, researchers worked to create a small-scale version of a mass relay. One that led directly to the Citadel, the hub of the relay network."

"So the Conduit never was a weapon. It's a back door to the Citadel," Kaidan said.

"What happened next," Shepard asked Vigil.

"We severed all communications with the outside and our facility went dark. The personnel retreated underground into these archives. To conserve resources, everyone was put into cryogenic stasis. I was programmed to monitor the facility and wake the staff when the danger had passed. But the genocide of an entire species is a long, slow process. Years passed. Decades. Centuries. The Reapers persisted. And my energy reserves were dwindling. I began to disable the life support of nonessential personnel. First support staff, then security. One by one, their pods were shut down to conserve energy. Eventually, only the stasis pods of the top scientists remained active. Even those were in danger of failing when the Reapers finally retreated back through the Citadel Relay."

"There were hundreds of stasis pods out there! You just shut them down? You killed them!" Tali gasped.

"This outcome was not completely unforeseen. My actions were a result of contingency programming entered on my creation. I saved key personnel. When the Reapers retreated, the top researchers were still alive. My actions are the only reason any hope remains. When the researchers awoke they realized the Prothean species was doomed. There were only a dozen individuals left, far too few to sustain a viable population. Yet they vowed to find some way to stop the Reapers from returning. A way to break the cycle forever. And they knew the keepers were the key."

"Wait. Are the keepers are under the Reapers control?" Shepard asked, knowing the keepers to have been part of the Citadel long before any current races arrived.

"The keepers are controlled by the Citadel. Before each invasion, a signal is sent through the station compelling the keepers to activate the Citadel relay. After decades of feverish study, the scientists discovered a way to alter this signal. Using the Conduit, they gained access to the Citadel and made the modifications. This time, when Sovereign sent the signal to the Citadel, the keepers ignored it. The Reapers are trapped in dark space."

Shepard felt her skin tingle, "Saren can use the Conduit to bypass all the Citadel's external defenses."

"Correct. And when inside, he can transfer control of the station to Sovereign. Sovereign will override the Citadel's systems and manually open the relay. And the cycle of extinction will begin again."

"How do we stop them?" Shepard asked urgently.

"There is a data file in my console. Take a copy when you go. When you reach the Citadel's master control unit upload the file to the station. It will corrupt the Citadel security protocols and give you temporary control over the station. It might give you a chance against Sovereign."

"Citadel master control unit? I've never heard of anything like that," Garrus said. "Where is it?"

"Through the Conduit. Follow Saren. He will lead you to your destination."

"He has enough of a head start, we need to move." Shepard said, taking the data file from the console. "Thank you, Vigil."

"The one you call Saren has not reached the Conduit. Not yet. There is still hope," Vigil said.

They ran back to the elevator, and once back in the tunnels the barrier fields were gone. They were quiet in the Mako. The information Vigil had given them had been valuable, but cost them a lot of time. Saren was on foot, but turians were fast on foot. And geth didn't tire easily, either. Alenko drove the Mako as fast as the rough tunnels allowed him.

Shepard connected to the Normandy on the radio, "Joker, no questions, just listen. We're heading to the Citadel. I need you to rally the Fifth Fleet and get them ready to reinforce the Citadel. Tell Hackett all he has to do is wait at the relay. We'll give him the reason to go through."

"Aye, aye, ma'am," Joker said, taking the Normandy and putting her on course. He didn't like leaving the team down there, and wished he knew what the hell Shepard was up to.

***Just a note. No where in the game did it mention how the heck Joker knew to expect Shepard at the Citadel, so I added this in when I saw that hole. Doesn't even say how he knew he had to be at the Citadel, as far as I know. If someone found that answer in the game, let me know!***


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46 – The Conduit**

They drove one kilometer, and then approached a steep decline. At the bottom was a small mass relay, and it was activated.

"We need to get through it before it closes," Shepard said.

It was mostly straight, but over the past fifty thousand years debris had fallen into the tunnel. Alenko gunned the Mako, keeping his eye on the terrain. They couldn't afford to snap the Mako in half, the Relay wouldn't stay open long enough for them to run down there.

"Geth ahead!" Wrex warned.

"Ignore them, all power to shields," Shepard ordered.

"Is it even safe to travel a mass relay on anything but a star ship?" Liara asked.

"We're about to find out," Alenko said. "Everyone hold on."

The last stretch. They hit a short ramp and the Mako lost contact with the ground and was on a collision course with the relay. The arc of energy reached out to them, enveloping them, and sending them off of Ilos.

The next instant they were still in the air, falling now to crash on the Presidium.

The Mako's shields were gone, and landed hard on its side. The axle snapped, and it rolled onto its back.

Shepard pulled herself out, reaching in and helping the next person she grabbed.

"It worked," Alenko said, surprised and relieved at the same time. "Look. That mass relay statue…it was really the partner to the Conduit this whole time."

"Hidden in plain sight," Shepard muttered.

"Now what?" Garrus asked.

Shepard looked at the geth marching towards them, "I know where Saren is going." Shepard pointed up, to the Citadel Tower.

Alarms had already been sounded, evacuation for the Citadel was supposed to be carried out. Sovereign had led hundreds of geth ships in a sudden assault and they had reached the Citadel only minutes before Shepard's team had. With the fleet spread out across several mass relays, they were winning.

While Shepard and her team were in the elevator, on their way up to the tower, Saren was already there and taking control. He activated the Citadel's security, and began to close the ward arms and lock out nearby relays so the Citadel could not retrieve any reinforcements. He had to admit that for a moment on Virmire and again on Ilos he was concerned that he may have underestimated Shepard's determination, but without her the Citadel would have been much more heavily guarded. Something she did finally backfired against her and worked to his advantage. Sovereign moved in, crashing through ships in his way to enter the Citadel and attach itself to the top of the tower.

The elevator halted only halfway to the top. Shepard activated her helmet, the rest of her crew doing the same, and blasted through the glass door of the elevator. There was no gravity now, it had been disabled. Their suits adjusted to the area, allowing them to walk up the tower. Geth resistance was heavy. If they were from Saren or Sovereign there was no way to tell.

"Hey, Garrus, you ever see this side of the Citadel before?" Shepard called over the flying bullets.

"Uh…no, can't say I have," he answered.

"That's too bad. We could really use one of your shortcuts right about now," she said.

"No shortcut…but an idea!" Garrus said suddenly. "Defensive turrets on the tower. I don't think they've ever been used, but they were put there for a reason. We're coming up on one. I just happen to be able to know how to activate them."

"Garrus, you ugly bastard, I love you," Shepard said as the defensive turret began firing on the incoming geth swarms.

"Save it till after the mission, Commander," Garrus said in an amused tone.

They kept moving forward, up the tower, much quicker with the geth occupied with the defensive turrets.

They were nearly under one of Sovereigns massive fingers that was holding onto the top of the tower, "We need to find a way back in," Shepard said.

"The elevator shaft, it's the closest," Alenko said. "There is an emergency hatch this way."

They broke into the hatch, and Shepard lowered herself in first. They were right outside the Council courtroom, running up the stairs.

Saren was there on the platform, only a few geth guards with him that they took out first.

As they neared him he jumped off the platform, and the stopped with Shepard's signal. A moment later Saren rose on his hovering platform and threw a grenade at them.

They scattered, half dodging to their right, the other half to their left.

"I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time, Shepard," Saren said.

"Sorry, I'm usually very punctual," she called back. "I'm in time for what?"

"The final confrontation. I think we both expected it would end like this. You've lost, though. You know that, don't you? In a few minutes, Sovereign will have full control of all the Citadel's systems. The relay will open, the Reapers will return."

"Don't be too confident, Saren. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve," she called, praying to God and Ashley that Joker pulled through. There was a heavy risk that Hackett would have been required to arrest him, but with Citadel communications down Joker should have been able to spook him into waiting.

"You survived our encounter on Virmire. But I've changed since then. Improved. Sovereign has…upgraded me," he said, sounding pleased.

"Oh you stupid turian!" Shepard snapped from her cover spot. "You let Sovereign implant you? Are you insane?"

"I suppose I should thank you, Shepard. After Virmire, I couldn't stop thinking about what you said. About Sovereign manipulating me. About indoctrination. The doubts began to eat away at me. Sovereign sensed my hesitation. I was implanted to strengthen my resolve. Now my doubts are gone. I believe in Sovereign completely, I understand that the Reapers need organics. Join us, and Sovereign will find a place for you, too."

"Sovereign is controlling you through those implants! Come on, Saren!" Shepard shouted. "You might be an asshole but you didn't get into the Spectres by being stupid."

"The relationship is symbiotic. Organic and machine intertwined, a union of flesh and steel. Strengths of both, the weaknesses of neither. I am a vision of the future, Shepard. The evolution of all organic life. This is our destiny. Join Sovereign and experience a true rebirth!"

"Sovereign hasn't won yet. I can still stop it from taking control of the station! Step aside and the invasion will never happen!" Shepard said.

"We can't stop it!" Saren barked. "Not forever. You saw the visions. You saw what happened to the Protheans. The Reapers are too powerful."

"Some part of you has to realize this is wrong, Saren," Shepard said, stepping out of her cover. "You can fight this."

"Maybe you're right…" Saren muttered. "Maybe there is still a chance for…ugh!" he grabbed his head in pain, a reflex when the subject of indoctrination began to think for itself.

Soldiers fought through pain, if they wanted to survive. Saren was a Spectre, had been most of his life, he was a soldier. "Come on, grunt! You go on through the pain!" She bellowed at him, making her way up the stairs. "You are NOT Sovereign's toy any more, Saren. You are Saren Arterius. Council Spectre! Act like it, damn it!"

"The implants. Sovereign is too strong. I'm sorry…it's too late for me," Saren said, his body shuddering.

"It is not over! Not yet!" Shepard shouted at him.

His body relaxed, and his electric blue eyes met her vivid green eyes, "Goodbye, Shepard. Thank you," he said, his tone a mix of emotions. He stared at her as he raised his pistol, and shot himself in the head.

His body swayed on the platform for a few moments, and when he finally fell the platform did as well. The glass floor that looked down into a garden area of the tower shattered as he hit it.

Shepard's team moved up slowly, but she was already at the console. The master control unit that Saren had unlocked just before she had reached him.

"The data file worked. I've got control of all systems," Shepard said.

"Open the station arms! Maybe the fleet can take Sovereign down before he regains control of the station," Garrus said urgently.

"We'll need a communications channel, too," Alenko said.

"Ward arms preparing to open," Shepard said. "Communications coming back up."

_--Joker's Journey—_

Part of the crew flipped out when he turned the ship away from Ilos, back to the Mu Relay. "You can't abandon Shepard and the team!" Pressley snapped at him.

"Shepard's orders," Joker snapped back. "She needs us to rally the Fifth Fleet and be ready to meet her at the Citadel."

"At the Citadel…you are talking nonsense!" Pressley muttered.

"She talked nonsense, I listen and follow," Joker said. They went back through the Relay, and to where the Fifth Fleet was stationed. "This is the SSV Normandy."

"Normandy, this is Admiral Hackett of the Fifth Fleet, we are aware that ship is stolen. We have our ships targeting your movements."

"I won't move," Joker said. "Admiral Hackett, there is an emergency and you need to get your fleet ready to reinforce the Citadel."

Hackett could be heard sighing over the radio, "Let me speak with Shepard."

"She's not here," Joker said.

"Admiral Hackett, we just lost contact," someone said over the radio.

"With who?"

"Everyone outside of the system," they reported. "Mass Relay is down, no one is coming in or out. I…I don't know what is going on."

Joker felt a cold unease in the pit of his stomach. Had Shepard known they had lost? Saren had found the Conduit and this was what it did? Removed interstellar communication and travel? Isolated all the star clusters from one another. Did she want the Normandy in a position with a fleet, a better chance to defend itself?

"Admiral, it's happening now," Joker said. "Get your men ready, sir."

"Ready for what?" Hackett asked.

"I'm afraid the only person who could tell us isn't available," Joker said, swallowing hard, hitting buttons on his radio. He knew it was offline, but he had to try. "Normandy to shore part, do you read?" Nothing but silence. "Normandy to the Citadel? Do you read?" He closed his eyes, "Shepard, if you can hear me, come in. Come on, Commander, don't leave me hanging like this."

For over five minutes there was nothing but radio traffic from the Fifth Fleet mobilizing. He organized them, and took the head of the fleet. The only ship that had a chance of recognizing the threat when it came out. And suddenly communications buoys came back online. He was getting emergency distress calls from the Citadel. Radio chatter was frantic, everyone trying to get a message out in a panic. The Destiny Ascension was in bad shape, they were trying to escort the Council members but were under heavy geth ship fire.

"Normandy to the Citadel," Joker said, waiting a few seconds, then trying again, "Normandy to the Citadel, come in. Come on, Shepard…give me something."

"Joker! It's Shepard," she said.

Joker clenched his fist, his concerns gone. Shepard hadn't failed. She had…traveled across the whole galaxy faster than he had, actually. He'd have to figure that one out at a later time, though. "Damn it's good to hear your voice," he said. "We caught that distress call from the Ascension, Commander. I'm sitting here in the Andura sector with the entire Arcturus Fleet. But the Relays have been taken offline. We can't get in to help them."

"I'm unlocking the relays," Shepard said. Joker thought about it, she had access to do that? "Get that fleet in here and defend the Ascension and Citadel. Sovereign is locked onto the Tower, we need all the firepower we can get."

"You're going to risk human lives to save the Council? After all they did to you?" Garrus asked.

"How can we not?" Alenko countered.

"Do what you can to save the Council, Joker," Shepard ordered.

"Aye, aye!" Joker said. "Relay is hot! We're coming in!"

Shepard let out a breath, looking around slowly and finally facing her team. Wrex, Garrus, Tali, Liara…and Kaidan.

"So…that's it?" Wrex rumbled.

Shepard looked over the side of the platform where Saren's body laid, "Check him. Make sure he's dead." She looked at his remains. When she had first heard of Saren, that he was responsible for Eden Prime, she had loathed him. Hated him with every fiber of her being for what he had done. He had sworn an oath to protect the galaxy, and he had betrayed it in a sneak attack on a farming colony. He was worse than pirates and mercenaries.

But now…all she felt was pity. She didn't know him. Anderson said he was ruthless, but she had no proof of it. What she saw when she looked at Saren were the colonists of Zhu's Hope who had been forced to do the Thorian's bidding. Or the Rachni Queen's children, abandoned and insane. Benezia, also enthralled by Sovereign. In the end he had been no more than a tool, a victim of it. They didn't have to kill him…he took his own life to give her a chance to save the galaxy.

Wrex and Garrus walked down the platform and a set of steps before jumping down through the broken floor. Wrex shot Saren once more in the head, "He's dead."

Shepard faced the console of the Citadel system, looking over it for anything else she could do to help from their position. Saren was defeated, and Sovereign wouldn't last with the whole fleet on it soon. Would it? Something felt off, like it wasn't over.

The tower shook as Sovereign began to be assaulted, and red arcs of energy sparked around them. The platform cracked from under them. Shepard grabbed onto a railing as the platform crashed down into the same room that Saren's body laid. Her and her team fell hard with the platform, right on top of Wrex and Garrus.

Shepard got to her feet first, checking her omni-tool, looking at the life-signs of her crew. "Garrus! Wrex!" She shouted, they were buried under debris. Wrex's shields were down and armor badly damaged, Garrus had no shields but no armor damage reported. "Help me try to move this," she said, gripping the platform. It weighed over a ton, easily. If Wrex was injured he may not be able to help push it up from his side.

"Shepard!" Tali shouted a warning.

Shepard looked, Saren was moving. The red energy was going straight to him, and it was coming from Sovereign. Shepard backed away as Saren's flesh burned away, and soon he wasn't much more than a cybernetic skeleton. "I am Sovereign! You cannot defeat me!" he roared.


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47 - Finish**

Four weapons fired at Saren's new reincarnation. It stood, without ducking for cover. Shooting red biotic energy at them, one at a time. It tore through their shields, sending them falling back.

Shepard ducked under cover before she was hit. "Duck and cover!" she ordered, throwing a grenade at him. There was a new explosion, and she slowly looked over her cover spot as the dust settled. Saren was once again still, the red glow of energy fading from the metal skeleton of his remains before they, too, disintegrated.

Now it felt more final. She heard on the radio that Sovereign's shields were down, they were hitting it good now. Doing damage, and it wasn't putting up much of a fight.

She checked her crew's life signs, Wrex and Garrus still holding out under the debris. Liara had been hit hard, nothing fatal. She looked, Kaidan and Tali were helping Liara to her feet, she was holding her side painfully. Shepard let out a breath of relief, they were safe.

Just above them Sovereign attempted to flee, slowly removing itself from the Citadel tower and rising up, only to be hit a fatal shot and begin to break apart. Shepard looked out the tall window high above them, seeing debris flying at them. A claw, one of the finger-like appendages it used to anchor itself onto the tower, was coming at them.

"RUN!" She ordered. She was several steps behind her team, and they turned and ran at her order. She heard the glass shatter, the hiss of air as the Citadel automatically adjusted for atmosphere pressure. She felt the whole tower shaking again, saw the debris from above them falling down on the rest her team, crushing them.

She felt the shockwave when the debris from Sovereign hit, piece after piece. Something struck the back of her legs, throwing her down and pinning her. She covered her head with her arms, seeing her team get buried in heavy debris at the other end of the room.

_--Rescue Party--_

Captain Anderson was released from jail, and he rallied some of the C-sec officers to come with him on a search for survivors in the tower. It was a mess, completely trashed.

C-Sec officers began moving debris, starting at the front of the room. "Got something!" they called.

With the worst of it lifted away, Wrex heaved and made enough room for him to slip out, Garrus behind him. "Took you guys long enough," Garrus said to his former colleagues.

Wrex looked around, they had heard and felt the rest of the crash, but had been kept from viewing it, "Where are they?"

Anderson looked grim, "Help us look."

Wrex's left arm and right leg were busted up pretty bad, but he went from one pile of debris to the next, and found Liara, Tali, and Kaidan trapped in a corner. Anderson ran over. "Where is Shepard?"

Kaidan stepped out, looking out at the room. Complete and utter destruction. He closed his eyes, seeing a massive piece of debris and a chunk of armor next to it, the last place Shepard had been standing.

Wrex looked, going to the chunk of metal and roaring as he lifted it, the weight straining against his injuries.

Kaidan looked away, he didn't want to see it. If it had to end this way he just wanted to remember her whole, not crushed like some bug.

"Hmph," Wrex grunted, letting it fall. "Shepard!"

Kaidan looked back, no body. "Shepard?" he hollered too. "Tali, get Liara to a medic."

"I want to find Shepard," Liara protested, her face looked pained but stubborn.

Anderson nodded, "Spread out and search! Under every piece of rubble. Shepard!"

Shepard's eyes cracked open, her mouth opening in a silent scream of pain as she tried to move. "Oh…that is not supposed to bend that way," she said, feeling sick as pain moved up and down her body.

She opened her omni-tool, her crews life systems, nothing significant. Alive, all she had to do was find them.

Blood was pounding so hard in her ears that she almost didn't hear someone calling her name. She bit back the pain and the nausea. She held her left arm as still as she could while she moved her right arm, pushing up at the chunk of metal. It was too heavy to lift off completely, but she got herself enough room to slide out. Next was getting to her feet, looking out at the wreckage that had once been a very nice room.

She climbed over the debris, holding her left arm so it didn't move.

"Shepard!" Anderson called, they had been calling it for the past few minutes, no one noticed that he wasn't calling for her, but acknowledging he found her.

"My team needs medical assistance," she said, slowly making her way down the debris.

Everyone looked at the far end of the room, they hadn't gotten that far yet.

Kaidan reached her first, helping her down the debris before pulling her into a gentle hug, all too aware of her mangled arm, "Andy…" he whispered in her ear, his voice full of relief.

Her right hand touched his face and pulled him closer so she could kiss his cheek, "We did it."

He smiled at her, "Come on, let's go get you fixed up."

Shepard nodded, "You guys first. I'm okay."

"Oh, you are?" he said.

"I'm right handed, so this is fine. I can go days like this," she said, though her face was pale and obviously tense.

"Hard ass," he teased.

She laughed, and winced as her side split into pain, "Ow…not now. Not yet. No jokes, or…teasing, nothing like that."

Her team was given a shuttle to the medical clinic. Liara's injuries were fairly severe, she had taken a bad hit from Saren. If they had been rescued less than an hour later she could have died from her internal injuries. Wrex's injuries were just as troubling, however no medic really had much information on krogans. Wrex had been his own doctor the past few centuries, and ended up tending to his own wounds. Shepard had two broken ribs, and a badly broken left arm. Implants locked the bones together and they would finish healing in a few days.

The Normandy was grounded, yet again. But no one was arrested. Udina, rightfully concerned, got extra C-Sec security at human embassy in case Anderson and Shepard decided they wanted to go rogue again.

After some pushing by Anderson, Normandy's lockdown was taken off less than a day after it was put in effect. With the Council's assurance that they weren't about to arrest the very crew that had saved their lives, there was no reason the Normandy would leave prematurely.

It was one day after the attack, still too fresh and vivid in everyone's mind, when the Councilors requested that Shepard, Udina, and Anderson meet with them on the Presidium.

Security was tight after the attack, and the Presidium ring was nearly empty of pedestrian traffic. It wasn't particularly safe debris was still mangling the once beautiful Presidium. But a portion of area had been cleared off for the Council to conduct their meeting.

"Ambassador. Captain. Commander Shepard," the asari councilor said pleasantly as they approached for their meeting. "We have gathered here to recognize the enormous contributions of the Alliance forces in the war against Sovereign and the geth."

"Many humans lost their lives in the battle to save the Citadel, brave and courageous soldiers who willingly gave their lives so that we, the Council, might live," the salarian said.

"There is no greater sacrifice and we share your grief over the tragic loss of so many noble men and women," the turian said.

"The Council also owes you a great personal debt, Commander. One we can never repay. You saved not just our lives, but the lives of billions from Sovereign and the Reapers," the asari said.

"Commander Shepard, your heroic and selfless actions serve as a symbol of everything humanity and the Alliance stand for," the salarian said.

"And though we cannot bring back those valiant soldiers who gave their lives to save ours, we can honor their memories through our actions," the turian said.

"Humanity has shown it is ready to stand as a defender and protector of the galaxy. You have proved you are worthy to join our ranks and serve beside us on the Citadel Council," the asari said.

"Councilor," Udina said loftily, "on behalf of humanity and the Alliance, we thank you for the prestigious honor and humbly accept."

"We will need a list of potential candidates to fill humanity's seat on the Council," the salarian said.

"Given all that has happened, I am sure your recommendation will carry a great deal of weight, Commander. Do you support any particular candidate?" the asari asked.

"I do have a candidate," Shepard said. "We need someone with the courage to stand up for what he believes in. Someone like Captain Anderson."

"Him!" Udina barked at her. "You must be joking. Anderson prefers to let his fists do the talking!"

"Only with you, Ambassador," Anderson said.

"I like his style," Shepard gave Udina a dark glare.

Udina stepped back from her, "Are you sure about this, Commander? The captain is a soldier, not a politician."

"He knows when to let things slide, and when to crack the whip," Shepard said. "He believes in doing the right thing, not whatever is best for his image. I'm sure as hell not suggesting you."

"I…you…"

"If I had any real political pull I'd get you off the Citadel," Shepard snapped at him. "However, I hope since you now understand how I work, in the future your decision will be to just back the hell off and let me do my job."

The asari councilor smirked, "Well, I think it's an interesting choice, Commander. The Council would welcome him with open arms, should he be accepted?"

Captain Anderson took a moment, then said, "I'm honored, Councilor. If chosen as humanity's representative, I'll do everything in my power to help the Council rebuild."

"Sovereign's defeat marks the beginning of a new era to both humanity and the Council," the turian said.

"Sovereign was only a vanguard. The Reaper fleet is still coming. Hundreds of ships, maybe thousands. Work fast on rebuilding," Shepard warned.

"Shepard is right. Humanity is ready to do its part. United with the rest of the Council, we have the strength to overcome any challenge," Anderson said. "When the Reapers come, we must stand side by side. We must fight against them as one. And together we will drive them back into dark space."

****Author's Note—this is *not* the finish. I am still working on completing the ME2 portion of 'Epic'. So this is going to be a break until I get a bit farther into the next part of the story. It's coming along really well! I'm taking a few more liberties w/i ME2 than I did with these past chapters. So while the story takes a break let me know what you think so far, and if you want to see the ME2 chapters when they are finished**


	48. Chapter 48

**Figured I might as well throw this chapter in, just a bit of fun**

**Chapter 48 – Intermission**

Shepard went back onto the Normandy, walking up behind Joker's chair, "Everything is good," she told him.

"I knew it, they gave you a medal, didn't they?" he chuckled.

Shepard smirked, "This whole crew is going to be getting medals. Be careful, you might be asked to sit through a ceremony."

He winced, "They'll probably make me shave, won't they?" rubbing his beard.

"Probably," she said with mock sympathy, "Too bad, because that thing hasn't grown any more in the past two months. That's sad."

Joker started laughing, "What's the next order of business, ma'am?"

"Open up the intercom," she said, and leaned forward. "Crew, this is Commander Shepard. We've just been approved for a two week leave. All Alliance crew please check yourselves out on a terminal."

"So, what are your plans?" Joker asked after closing the intercom.

"I have a few things I need to take care of here on the Citadel."

"Come on, Shepard. If anyone deserves a vacation after all of this, it's you," Joker said.

"I want you off this ship by 1800," she told him. "Flying a stolen ship, coordinated the attack that destroyed Sovereign. You need a break."

"Yes, ma'am," he smiled.

Shepard went to her cabin, leaving the door open as she packed her bag. Kaidan watched silently for a few moments, his words failing him. He still felt the same, but they hadn't had a chance to talk.

She turned her head, looking at him with a smile, "Yes, Lieutenant?"

"Just…Kaidan, ma'am. For the next two weeks," he stepped into her room. "We talked about the chance at leave, and I wanted…"

"Kaidan…I have to stay on the Citadel," she said apologetically. "I…I wish I had time to go back to Earth and, well…spend some time with you. But…with how things went down…well, I'm still a Spectre. And…I still have some things to take care of."

He nodded, "I sort of figured you wouldn't have time for a transport to Earth after this, but…if you are still interested in spending some time together, I could delay mine."

She took a few steps to him, "Are you sure? I mean…you have family, you're parents."

Kaidan smirked, "After everything…you are hesitating?"

"I don't hesitate," she said. "I know exactly what I want, Kaidan…I just want to make sure you want the same thing."

He nodded, "Believe me, there is nothing…"

There was the sound of laughter, and they both froze. "You see? This is what I've had to put up with the past two months. Kaidan…he's a great guy but _man_ does he need to cut loose. And Shepard, well…damn, if she wasn't my friend I'd be scared to death of her. And then…hey, why'd they stop talking? The intercom…oh…oh shit…"

In the cockpit Garrus chuckled, "Oh, my apologies, did I open the intercom?"

"I hate you," Joker said flatly. "They are going to kill me now, you know that, right?"

"No, we aren't going to kill you," Shepard said, Kaidan by her side as they reached the cockpit.

Garrus put his hands up, "I had no part in it. I actually gave you proof what he was doing."

"Garrus, you should leave," Kaidan said. "We don't want…a witness."

"Understood. You two take care. Shepard, give me a call if you want to come out to lunch tomorrow. You too, Lieutenant," Garrus said pleasantly, and leaving the airlock.

Shepard and Kaidan were on either side of Joker, "So, Joker…we a form of amusement for you?" she asked seriously.

"Come on, you guys know me better than that," Joker said defensively. "I listen to the whole ship to ensure I know what is going on." He looked between both of them and held his hands up in surrender, "Okay, sorry. Didn't mean to invade privacy, but that _is_ what your privacy button is for, Commander."

"Joker, you are lucky you are irreplaceable," Shepard said, a small smile breaking through her hard face. "Damn lucky that we're friends, too."

Joker relaxed, "So…that's it? We're all cool?"

"Yeah," Shepard nodded. "As long as you keep it to yourself and you _stop_."

"Yes, ma'am," Joker nodded, a smirk forming on his face. "Don't worry, only a few of the crew know. I mean, really we've been rooting for the two of you. They were slow to come around at first but after that first day when I caught Alenko checking you out…"

"Oh?" Shepard said, sitting down, "Checking me out?"

"Well yeah....oh…" Joker looked at Kaidan who was frowning. "But in his defense you can't really blame him."

"You have an interest in your commanding officer?" Kaidan asked him seriously.

Joker put his eyes forward, "Great…you two are messing with me now."

Kaidan chuckled, "Alright, we'll let you go."

Shepard stood up, "I want you out of this ship soon, Joker. The Normandy may be beautiful but she isn't a real woman."

"See you around, Joker," Kaidan said, shaking his friend's hand.

"Hey, just be careful," Joker said to him quietly, and with a smile, "You never know where you might find a concealed weapon."

_--Shore Leave--_

Shepard clenched her teeth together as she grinned, "Kaidan, you absolutely drive me insane," she said, suppressing a shudder.

The look on her face told him that was a good thing, and he tried to fight his smile as he kissed up her leg, his fingertips grazing her skin so lightly he barely felt her. Her fingers ran through his hair, and her hand cupped the back of his neck and pulled him up so she could kiss his mouth.

"Best shore leave, ever," he breathed against her cheek, chuckling. His hand went to her leg that she was rubbing against the outside of his thighs and held it as he got into position.

"I'm going to keep you awake until you decide it's the best week of your life," she said, the tone a teasing threat and a promise.

He laughed, but didn't confess it was already there. The past week had been very good. Spending days with her, when she didn't have to go to the Presidium for a meeting with the Council. Meeting the team members for lunch or dinner. Their time alone enjoying each other.

Enjoying each other could be taken wrong. They took the time to learn things about each other, things that they never got a chance to touch on before. And secure the other that they were pursuing this relationship for the right reasons. Both of them survived dozens of missions together but where scared to death of getting their heart broken after what they had been through.

"I didn't give up on dating because I wasn't interested," she had told him. "The few guys that I got close to over the years…well, they got scared off. Either because I was a soldier trained to kill, or because I get an injury that reminds them how dangerous my job is."

He had to admit that every time they saw battle he would be worried, for both of them. But he had the same goals as she had once they were on duty, save lives and eliminate the threat to those lives. He wasn't about to back down because they had given the same Oath.

Shepard pressed her leg against his thighs as a warning before she rolled him onto his back, placing her knees on either side of him. She pressed her chest against his, kissing the corner of his mouth and moving down his jaw to his neck, distracting him as she reached down to take him in her hand and guide him into her.

The groan escaped his lips as she began rolling her hips on him, her lips leaving him and her hands bracing herself on his chest as she found the pace she wanted. His hands found her hips, finding her rhythm and meeting her.

She let herself fall on his chest, ripples of pleasure still singing through her body and making her tremble. She kissed him once, and slid off of him to lie on her stomach next to him. He took a moment to catch his breath, rolling onto his side to put his arm on her back. She closed her eyes, feeling his rough hands trace old scars on her shoulder blades and send another tremble up her spine. His touch becoming more gentle, just the tips of his fingertips, as he touched a still-healing scar where they had repaired her rips the previous week. Her eyes opened slowly, finding his immediately.

"Your eyes are so amazing," he said softly.

She moved onto her side and slipped her arm under his, and moved closer to tuck her head between his head and shoulder, "That sounds like a really bad pick up line. If it came from anyone else I would…"

He waited for her, but when she didn't finish he asked, "You would what?"

"I would threaten to break their arm in three places…and I just realized that is why I don't have many dates," she said flatly.

"I'm glad I'm exempt," he laughed, and she quickly joined him.

She leaned back a bit, her hand running over the short and prickly growth of hair that was on his face, "It's just…well, I know you too well that I know you are telling me the truth," she said with a sigh, pushing into him until he was on his back and using his shoulder as a pillow, smiling happily as he arms wrapped around her. Lazily tracing the lines of his abdomen with her fingertips a thought settled into her mind.

She loved him.

Her touch on his stomach sent jolts across his skin. That she enjoyed his body as much as he hers…he didn't want the leave to end. Where she would go back to being Commander Shepard, and him Lieutenant Alenko…instead of Andy and Kaidan.

Hell of a thing, he had almost gotten to the point where dating was an obscene and alien thing to him, when he had just been looking at the wrong women. He kissed the top of her head, realizing she was asleep. One of her quirks, she could fall asleep without a warning. He slowly hooked his foot into the blanket that had been pushed to the end of the bed, getting it close enough that he grabbed it with a hand and draped it over them.

He'd already called home, telling his parents that his homecoming would have to be delayed, and couldn't talk about it further. They were used to the 'need-to-know' routine and didn't press it. The only bad thing about the woman he had in his arms, no one could know about her.

Mostly because of the regs, she was still his commanding officer, and he wasn't going to risk being reassigned. Hell, pursuing this relationship with her would probably be easier if they were on two different ships. It was going to be hard not to think about this time with her during their downtime.

There were also the thoughts of the rest of the Alliance crew. No matter how much they respected her as a commander, if they knew she was pursuing a relationship with her subordinate it would distract them, maybe even cause them to question her lead. And they were going back out there, soon…they were going to finish fighting this war with the geth, get rid of their leftover troops still stationed in the Traverse, while looking for more evidence on the Reaper threat.

Andy woke up suddenly, something feeling wrong, and it took her a moment to realize it. At first she thought it was the Prothean visions again…but it wasn't them, at least not this time. Kaidan was missing.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," he said softly from the other side of the room.

She propped herself up on her elbow, "Are you doing laundry?"

"Looking for my omni-tool," he chuckled, grabbing the next pair of pants on the floor. "I found three of yours."

She gave him a grin, "Want to guess where I hide the other two?"

"I may have to search your person later," he teased. "That meeting with the Council starts in two hours...you slept pretty good last night."

"Yeah," her grin faded and she fell back into the pillow on the bed, "What did you need the omni-tool for?"

"Figured I'd get a few things done while you were at your meeting," he said, holding his omni-tool in his hand and walking to the bed as he opened it. "Got a message from Joker. He wants to know if we wanted to come with him to lunch. Bet he's bored out of his mind off the Normandy."

She was half hanging off the bed, grabbing her tank top off the floor and looking for her underwear under the bed, "Do you want to?"

Kaidan closed his omni-tool and looked at the interesting position Andy was in, "We can do that…"

She brought her head above the bed and saw the look he was giving her, "No…I have to get ready for that meeting."

He got on the bed, grabbing her as she tried to roll away, "Two hours," he said in her ear, "Plenty of time."

"No I don't. With all the security checks it'll take me over an hour to get there," she argued even as her body leaned into his. Her hand touching his cheek, he had been up for a while, he had already shaved.

His lips stopped at her collarbone and he sighed, "You are right. You know me…can't finish anything in that amount of time."

Her hands tangled up in his hair, "Absolutely insane, Kaidan," she said, and she felt him chuckle.

"Sorry. Ma'am."


End file.
